A New Addition
by all4jesus84
Summary: Sara is a 13yearold girl with a lot of pain. When she gets adopted by Jesse and Becky Katsoppolus, will they be able to help her overcome the pain she had dealt with for 4 years and accept the fact that she is loved? COMPLETE
1. Sara and the Katsoppolus'

**A/N: My apologies for those who have been reading this story, it got lost and now I'm in the process of rewriting it all so it's coming gradually. Keep checking back, thank you for being loyal readers, God bless**

* * *

This is a story about a young 13-year-old girl named Sara Stevenson. She lived at the Jacobson Group Home for Girls in San Francisco, California. She had a sad life at her young age, remembering very clearly the day her parents abandoned her when she was 9 years old. She carried that pain with her every day of her life, not being able to forget it. It was a pain she would carry with her all the days of her life.

Sara wasn't alone at the group home; she had a best friend named Britney, who was a year older than she was. At 14 years old, Britney had no memory of her parents, since they died when she was a baby. She had been raised in group homes, but she was such an optimistic young lady, which was where she and Sara clashed in their personalities a little bit.

* * *

After classes one Monday afternoon, the two girls had met up and were now sitting on their beds in their dormitory, talking about their days.

"Do you have a lot of homework?" Britney asked. Sara shrugged.

"No not much. I just have to read a chapter for history by tomorrow. What about you?" She asked.

"Well, I have a couple of chapters to read for English, plus a story summary for each chapter by tomorrow." Britney complained. Sara giggled.

"It's amazing the difference in the homework load between grade 8 and grade 9." She commented. Britney rolled her eyes, as the two girls pulled out their homework and began working on it.

An hour had passed, and Britney looked up at her best friend curiously.

"Hey, have you heard about Nora?" She asked. Sara shrugged.

"What about Nora?" She asked, knowing Nora was a girl her age that had been in group homes all her life, just like Britney.

"She got adopted." Britney replied, with a large smile on her face. Sara looked up and raised her eyebrows.

"So?" She asked, uncaringly. Britney looked surprised.

"Well isn't it great? Nora's finally going to get a family." She said excitedly.

"Family's are overrated." Sara replied as she flipped a page in her history book, clearly not even reading its contents.

"No they aren't! Why would you say that?" Britney asked.

"Families don't exist. People just coexist in a house for no reason other than to cause problems and hurt each other." Sara replied bitterly. Britney sighed.

"Sara, that's not always true. Just because your parents –"

"Hey do you want to give the homework a break and go play some basketball for a bit?" Sara asked. Britney sighed, not surprised. Sara had a habit of changing the subject whenever the topic of her parents came up. Britney didn't argue, so the two girls headed outside to play some basketball.

* * *

In another part of San Francisco, at 1882 Gerrard Street, a couple named Jesse and Becky Katsoppolus were sitting in the living room of the large house they lived in. They shared the house with seven other people. Jesse and Becky lived in the attic with their two-year-old twin boys, Nikki and Alex. Jesse's brother-in-law, Danny, owned the house and he had three daughters, DJ, Stephanie and Michelle. Danny's best friend Joey lived in the house as well.

* * *

On that same Monday afternoon, Jesse and Becky were having a very important conversation they had been having off and on for a few months now.

"Jess, we really need to make a decision on this. We've been thinking about it for months. What's holding you back?" Becky asked. Jesse sighed and shrugged.

"I don't know Becky. It's a big decision to make. Adopting a teenager is a big undertaking. I don't know if we can handle it at this point in our lives." Jesse admitted.

"Jess, I don't understand how you think we couldn't handle it. We're already handling life with two boys. Why not add another child? Jesse, I really want a daughter, and I really want to help somebody who really needs it. There are teenage girls out there who just need somebody to love them, and I want to give that to somebody." Becky said passionately. Jesse still felt strange and uncomfortable, and Becky could see this. She sighed.

"I'm going to check on the twins." She stood up, and headed to the attic to check on the napping boys upstairs. Jesse sighed, hating how this topic was causing problems in their conversations. He pulled at his hair, not knowing what to do. He loved Becky and the twins so much, and it was true, there was a part of him who wanted a daughter of his own, but there was so much to consider. As he sat on the couch, considering all of the possibilities, Danny and Joey walked into the room and joined him.

"Jesse, are you okay?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, you look a little stressed out." Joey added. Jesse looked up and sighed.

"Well, you guys know we've been talking about adopting a teenage girl. But every time Becky and I try to talk about it, we end up either arguing or we're not able to come to a decision." He admitted. Danny and Joey nodded.

"Well, why aren't you making a decision?" Joey asked, not understanding.

"Joey, there's a lot to consider. I mean, with my music and Becky's career, I don't think we really have time for another kid. It's difficult enough with Nikki and Alex. I would hate to never have time for her." Jesse admitted, trying to verbalize his feelings. Danny nodded.

"Yeah, but Jess, you could make it work. You make it work with Nikki and Alex as it is, and you even spend plenty of time with my daughters. What makes you think you wouldn't have enough time for a daughter of your own?" Danny asked. Jesse shrugged, considering Danny's advice.

"That's true, I guess." He admitted.

"And Jesse, you wouldn't be doing it alone either. I mean, Becky has the best motherly instinct there is, and besides, you have all of us to help you." Joey said.

"There's no harm in at least looking into it, is there? Maybe if you actually met a teenage girl, you would be able to make your decision a lot better." Danny added. Jesse sighed and nodded.

"You know what? You guys are right. We've put this off for too long. There's nothing wrong with looking into it. That isn't permanent. Thanks guys." Jesse stood up with a smile. "I have to go talk to Becky." He ran up the stairs to his attic apartment, where Becky was just shutting the door behind her from the twin's bedroom. Becky looked at her husband, who had a smile on his face.

"What?" She asked, unimpressed. He led her to the couch, where the two sat down, and Jesse grew serious.

"Becky, I've just been talking to the guys about what we've been talking about for the last few months." He said. Becky sighed.

"Oh?" She asked, not sure where this topic was going to head now.

"Yeah, they really made me see things in a new light. Becky, I haven't told you about how I've always wanted a daughter myself, but I'm just scared honey. I would hate to adopt somebody and then never have enough time for her, or do something wrong and make her life worse than it's already been." He admitted. Becky nodded, understanding her husband.

"I know Jesse, but think about how much better her life would get when she at least knows she's loved and cared for." She said, not sure if she would even be able to change his mind, but felt like she had to express her feelings on the matter.

"Well, I'd like to look into it, honey. I don't know what kind of decision we'll come to, but the guys were right. Getting the information and maybe even meeting a young girl might make our decision easier. So what do you say? Do you want to go to the Jacobson Group Home for Girls tomorrow and look into it?" Jesse asked. Becky was shocked, almost too shocked for words. Moments ago, it seemed as though there was no changing Jesse's mind, and now, he wanted to explore the options. Becky smiled.

"Oh Jesse, I love you so much, and I would love to go see what we can find out tomorrow." She threw her arms around her husband and embraced him, thankful for the opportunity that her and her husband might have the chance to adopt a young teenage girl.


	2. Making Plans

The next morning, Britney and Sara were getting themselves ready for their classes. As they gathered their books and pencils and textbooks, Sara looked at Britney with a sigh.

"I had that dream again last night." She said, as she waited for Britney to pick up the last of her belongings. Britney turned and looked at her, confused.

"What dream?" She asked.

"The one where I get adopted." Sara said with a frown. Britney shook her head, not understanding why these things bothered Sara so much.

"You're making it sound like it's a bad dream." Britney commented, as the two girls headed downstairs.

"Britney, it's more than just a bad dream. It's a nightmare! You know I don't want to be adopted. I can't understand why I keep dreaming about it." Sara replied.

"Maybe somewhere deep down inside, you really do want a family." Britney said, automatically regretting it, because she knew Sara would overreact. She was right.

"Britney! I can't believe you would say that. I thought you knew me well enough to know that I don't want a family." She yelled out.

"But Sara, I don't understand why. I think having a family would be the best feeling in the world. Why can't you see that?" Britney asked.

"Because, I-" She stopped when she arrived at her classroom, said goodbye to Britney and disappeared. Britney sighed. _I hope one day, Sara will have a family and know that just because her parents walked out on her, it doesn't mean all families are like that._ Britney thought as she walked to her own classroom.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jesse and Becky had arrived at Jacobson Group Home and were waiting in a bright office for a social worker to arrive. The office was covered in paintings and drawings made for her by the girls. Becky smiled.

"Oh Jesse, look at all of these drawings. Aren't they adorable?" She asked with a smile. Jesse knew Becky was really getting into this, and getting excited. Jesse had to admit, being in this office, staring at these walls of paintings, drawings and portraits of all of these teenage girls was making him eager to learn more as well.

Just then, a tall woman entered the room with a smile, and sat at her desk across from the couple.

"Hi, I'm Ms. Morrison. You must be Mr. and Mrs. Katsoppolus." Ms. Morrison greeted, as she shook both of their hands.

"Yes, that's us." Jesse replied. Ms. Morrison nodded.

"Well, you told me on the phone that you might be interested in adoption." She started. Becky nodded.

"Yes, well, we're looking into it. We haven't made a decision yet, but we thought if we came to get some information, or even meet somebody, it might be easier to make a decision." She explained.

"That's a great idea. Many couples come here with questions and usually after meeting one of our girls, it's much easier to make a decision, since it's so hands on." Ms. Morrison pointed out.

"How would we go about meeting one of the girls?" Jesse asked, surprising Becky. _He's really excited about this now._ She felt so happy.

"Well, we could set up an interview. Many couples who aren't sure do that so they can meet a young girl, talk to her, and get to know her. An interview is not a permanent commitment. It's simply a meeting between the couple and the teenager. Usually after the first interview, couples know whether or not they're interested in adoption and there have been cases where after the first interview, that child has been adopted. It varies with each couple, but if you're interested, we can set up an interview for you." Ms. Morrison explained. Jesse and Becky looked at each other, and Jesse nodded slightly, showing Becky he was interested, and he already knew she was all for it.

"Sure! That sounds like a great idea." Becky said. Ms. Morrison nodded, pulling out a stack of files.

"What sort of age group were you looking at?" She asked, scanning some of the files.

"Oh well, it doesn't really matter. What's your youngest?" Jesse asked.

"Our youngest is 13 years old." Ms. Morrison replied.

"That sounds good to me." Becky said.

"Me too." Jesse added.

"Okay, well that's great. The younger they are, the easier it is for them to adapt to a new environment. Okay, let's see what we've got here." Ms. Morrison took out about ten folders, scanning the names on each folder. She paused at one of them, as if considering it, and she nodded to herself.

"Well, we can set up an interview between you and Sara Stevenson. I suggested her because, well, I've grown somewhat fond of her, and she's been through a lot in her life, and I truly believe all she needs is to feel loved. Her parents abandoned her when she was 9 years old. They just picked up and left. Last we heard, they moved to Florida and had a baby together. We know the small details about the day it happened, but Sara has never talked about it. We have her in counselling, and we're hopeful she will express her feelings one day." Ms. Morrison explained, not even sure the couple would be interested, especially after Sara's past.

"Oh dear, the poor girl." Becky said sadly.

"Well, we can see who else we have here." Ms. Morrison started looking through her files again, not sure the couple was interested in Sara.

"No, we'd like to meet her." Jesse interrupted quickly. Becky was surprised, but she felt the same way.

"Yes Ms. Morrison, we don't care about her past. When can we set up an interview?" She asked. Ms. Morrison also looked surprised, but she looked through her date book.

"Well, the only available time I have available this week is tomorrow at 3:00p.m. Unless you would rather wait until next week." She explained. Jesse and Becky looked at each other, nodding to each other.

"No tomorrow is fine. We'll be ready for you." Becky said with a large smile. Ms. Morrison smiled back.

"Great, then Sara and I will be at your house at 3:00p.m. Sharp." She stood and shook both of their hands.

"Thank you Ms. Morrison. We'll see you tomorrow." Jesse said, and Ms. Morrison left the office. Jesse and Becky were about to do the same, but Becky turned and looked at Ms. Morrison's wall of portraits.

"Which one do you think is Sara?" Becky said with a smile on her face. Jesse smiled back.

"It doesn't matter Becky. I'm sure whoever she is, she will be absolutely amazing." He said, and he kissed her. "I'm really glad we came here."

"Me too Jesse. I can't wait to meet her." Becky said, as she took her husband's hand, and they walked out to their car.

* * *

It was 3:30p.m. and Ms. Morrison was walking through the halls, looking for Sara. She needed to find Sara to tell her about her interview for the next day. Ms. Morrison worried about how Sara would react. She knew that Sara would not be happy about it, and knew she would react harshly. Sara had a bit of a temper, and Ms. Morrison knew this more than anybody else. She had dealt with Sara's temper many times, and dreaded telling the young girl about the interview, knowing it would spark some more anger out of the young girl. As Ms. Morrison walked the halls, she couldn't understand how a girl of only 13 years old could hold so much anger and pain. She wanted so desperately for Sara to let that go, and she felt deep within her heart that if she only had a family to love her, she would be able to deal with that pain and open herself up to love.

Ms. Morrison opened the door to the girl's dormitory to find Sara and Britney sitting on their beds, doing their homework. She heard bits of their conversation as she approached the girls.

"Honestly, why would we ever have to know about trigonometry? What good will that kind of math do us in the real world?" Britney complained. Sara laughed.

"Just as much as knowing the anatomy of a firefly." She giggled. Ms. Morrison laughed too and the girls looked up.

"Oh, hi Ms. Morrison." Britney greeted. Ms. Morrison smiled.

"Hello girls, I'm glad to see you're doing your homework, despite the fact you think it's useless." She said. The girls exchanged glances with a smirk.

"Britney, would you mind if I had a moment with Sara?" Ms. Morrison asked. Sara felt her stomach drop. _Am I in trouble?_ She thought. _What did I do this time?_ She watched as Britney dropped her homework on her bed and walk out of the dormitory, looking back at Sara with confused eyes.

"Sara, I need to talk to you." Ms. Morrison started. Sara looked at her.

"What did I do?" She asked, worriedly. Ms. Morrison had to laugh.

"You don't have to think you're in trouble every time I want to talk to you." She pointed out. Sara shrugged.

"Well, I usually am." She muttered.

"Sara, I have something important to tell you." Ms. Morrison said, ignoring Sara's last comment. Sara puckered her brow, now knowing this was really serious.

"What? What's going on?" She asked, growing more and more suspicious. Ms. Morrison sighed, knowing it was now or never. She really didn't want to hurt Sara, or make her angry, but she had to tell her.

"Sara, I've set up an interview for you. I know you're not happy about it, but it's just a meeting." Ms. Morrison said quickly, and the reaction she had expected from Sara surely came.

"What?" Sara yelled out, as her eyes widened and she stood up quickly.

"Sara, just relax, don't get upset. I told you, this is just a meeting. You've had interviews before."

"And I've hated every one of them!" Sara snapped.

"Sara, I don't want you to give me a hard time about this. These people are very nice and they really want to meet you. They're interested in adoption, and I thought it would be good for you to meet them as well, because Sara, I think what you really need is a family." Ms. Morrison said calmly. Sara shook her head vigorously.

"How many times do I have to tell everybody? I don't want a family! I don't want to be adopted and I don't want to go to this interview!" She yelled.

"Sara! I don't appreciate you taking that tone with me, young lady. Now please, don't make this hard on me, I only want what's best for you. We're going to go to this interview tomorrow and I want you to be on your best behavior, do you understand?" Ms. Morrison's tone was serious and stern, but not angry. She could never use anger on these kids, not after all of the pain most of them had suffered. Sara sighed angrily and turned away, refusing to look at her social worker.

"Fine Sara, I don't care if you're angry at me. I don't care if you won't speak to me, but we're leaving tomorrow around 3:00p.m. and I expect you to be good." Ms. Morrison watched as Sara crossed her arms rebelliously. Ms. Morrison only shook her head and left the dormitory, feeling guilty, but feeling like she really had done the right thing.

* * *

Moments later, Britney arrived back in the dormitory to find Sara sitting on her bed, arms crossed, staring out the window.

"What happened?" Britney asked as she joined her best friend. Sara sighed.

"Ms. Morrison set up an interview for me for tomorrow." She replied under her breath, through clenched teeth. Britney wanted to congratulate her, but knew Sara wasn't happy about it, so she didn't.

"It's not fair; Ms. Morrison knows I hate interviews. She knows I hate families. She knows I don't want to be adopted, so I don't understand why she keeps doing this to me!" Sara blurted out angrily. Britney sighed.

"You know Ms. Morrison would never hurt you. She probably just thinks she is doing what's right for you." She explained, siding with Ms. Morrison.

"She hasn't a clue what's right for me. Why can't she just listen to me? A family is not what's best for me!"

"How do you know that Sara? How do you know?" Britney asked, desperate for an answer, but once again, Sara turned her face away. Britney sighed.

"It's just an interview. You don't know what could happen. For all you know, the couple might not even be interested in you." She said, humoring her best friend, even though deep inside, she secretly hoped that the couple would be interested and adopt Sara, because even Britney knew that somewhere deep down inside of Sara Stevenson lied a desperate longing for a family and a sense of belonging and love.

"It'll be okay. Whatever happens, everything will be okay." Britney said as she gave her best friend a hug. Sara was glad she had her best friend with her, but she wasn't so sure she believed her.


	3. The Interview

Wednesday morning, Jesse and Becky sat at the dining room table with their family, having breakfast. Both of them felt very nervous about the interview that afternoon. Neither had slept very well, worried about what it would be like; what Sara would be like.

"Jesse, what if she doesn't like us?" Becky asked quietly that morning, so nobody heard her. Jesse had thought of this himself, but gave his wife an answer.

"Well, if it doesn't go very well, we could always set up another interview with somebody else." He offered, but he knew Becky was hoping for exactly what he was hoping for. That they would fall in love with Sara Stevenson and possibly adopt her. Jesse had been thinking more and more about the adoption idea since they had arrived home from the group home the day before. The more he thought about adoption, the more he liked it and now, on the day of their interview, he felt anxious and excited. He wanted to meet Sara, and he deeply hoped the three of them would somehow connect.

Becky was feeling the same way. She wanted a daughter so much, and had grown more excited when she saw all of those pictures and paintings in Ms. Morrison's office. She kept imagining her new daughter coming downstairs with a drawing she had made for her new mother. Becky couldn't wait to meet Sara; neither of them could.

"What time are they coming guys?" Danny asked as he started to clear up breakfast. Jesse looked up, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Oh, the social worker said around 3:00p.m. Is it alright if we use the kitchen Danny? We don't want to have to drag them all upstairs for a short interview." Jesse requested. Danny smiled and nodded.

"Of course that's okay. I can clean the upstairs bathroom while you're having your interview." He said. Danny was a bit of a neat freak, and everybody teased him about it.

"Thanks Danny, we appreciate it." Becky said with a smile.

"No problem. So are you guys excited?" Danny asked. Jesse and Becky looked at each other with huge grins.

"Yeah we are. We really can't wait to meet her." Jesse said.

"What's her name?" DJ asked.

"Sara Stevenson." Becky replied.

"How old is she?" Stephanie asked.

"13 years old." Jesse replied, to which Stephanie smiled, because she was also 13 years old.

"Are you gonna adopt her?" Michelle asked. Jesse and Becky laughed at their youngest niece.

"Michelle, we haven't even met her yet. We don't know if we're going to adopt her yet." Jesse replied.

"We would like to adopt a teenage girl, but it might not work out with Sara. We have to wait and see." Becky added.

"What does she look like?" Stephanie asked, curiously.

"Steph, like I told Michelle, we haven't met her yet. We haven't seen pictures of her or seen her at all. We have to wait until 3:00p.m." Jesse replied. The family stopped asking questions at that, but Jesse and Becky had many questions of their own. Questions they couldn't answer either. Would they get along with Sara? Would they adopt her? What would life be like with a teenage daughter? Would they be able to handle it? And the question that nagged them the most: How was Sara feeling about the whole ordeal?

* * *

"Britney, what if I told Ms. Morrison I came down with laryngitis? Do you think she'd believe me?" Sara asked her best friend as they sat on the floor of the dormitory. It was 2:30p.m. and the girls were waiting for Ms. Morrison to come and tell Sara it was time to go. Britney laughed.

"No she wouldn't believe you. You try to pull these kinds of things every time you have an interview. Ms. Morrison knows you too well." She said with a shake of her head. Sara sighed, knowing this was true.

"How 'bout the flu?" She said desperately, but Britney just looked at her.

"I know, I know." Sara sighed.

The dormitory door opened moments later and Ms. Morrison walked in wearing her business suit and holding a briefcase. Sara knew she was ready for the interview, but she certainly wasn't.

"Sara, it's time to go." Ms. Morrison announced and Sara only rolled her eyes.

"Sara Stevenson, don't give me a hard time, we have an appointment we have to keep. Now let's go." Ms. Morrison said sternly. Sara sighed heavily, but got up slowly, walking toward the door. Ms. Morrison stared at her.

"Sara, look at you. You haven't even brushed your hair." She said disapprovingly. Sara shrugged.

"So?" She muttered. Ms. Morrison grabbed the brush off of the nearest dresser and turned Sara around gently, and began brushing through her thick brown hair.

"You want to look nice, don't you?" Ms. Morrison asked as she struggled to brush out the tough tangles.

"No." Sara snapped.

"Sara, I don't want you to give me any attitude today, I mean it." Ms. Morrison finished with Sara's hair and motioned her out the door. Sara turned back and waved to her best friend, who waved back with a weak smile.

* * *

The drive to 1882 Gerard Street was silent for about the first half of the ride. Ms. Morrison knew Sara was angry and furious with Ms. Morrison for setting this up. It was true. Sara sat with her arms crossed, staring out of her window at the passing scenery, fuming inside. _Why couldn't she have set up an interview with someone else? Even Britney? Britney really wants to be adopted; I don't, so why did it have to be me?_ Sara kept thinking to herself. Sara let out a deep sigh and muttered something quietly under her breath, but Ms. Morrison heard her.

"This is so not fair." Sara muttered. Ms. Morrison shook her head to herself and turned a corner.

"Sara, I know you're angry at me, but honestly, I was doing what was best for you. I know you don't think that's true, but one day I hope you can look back and see that I was never trying to hurt you. All I want is for you to be happy Sara." She said to the young girl sitting next to her. Sara shook her head disbelievingly.

"If you want me to be happy, then turn around." She said crudely. Ms. Morrison turned her head quickly.

"Young lady, you do not take that tone with me, understand? I realize you're upset, but that gives you no reason to be rude. But it's true Sara. I do want you to be happy, and I think if you just allowed yourself to be loved and cared for, you'd be happy. I think being a part of a family would really help you with that." She said. Sara shook her head.

"No it wouldn't. Families are stupid." She said quietly.

"Why Sara?" Ms. Morrison asked. Sara closed her eyes.

"You wouldn't understand." She replied.

"Well let me try Sara. Tell me. Tell me why you don't want a family." Ms. Morrison tried, hoping that for the first time, Sara would express some of her feelings about the day her parents left her. She wasn't all that surprised when Sara turned her head and stared out the window again, ignoring her social worker's question. Ms. Morrison sighed and continued the drive.

* * *

They arrived at the large house at 1882 Gerard Street at 2:45p.m. Ms. Morrison pulled her briefcase out of the backseat and got out of the car. Sara got out of the car, slamming the door behind her roughly. As they walked up to the house, Ms. Morrison leaned over and spoke sternly but quietly.

"Listen Sara, I expect you to be good. They are really excited to meet you and I don't want you to lose your temper or misbehave yourself. I expect you to ignore your anger for the next hour or so." She said as she rang the doorbell. Sara rolled her eyes as she heard footsteps approach the door. For the first time since she had heard about the interview, Sara felt more nervous than angry as the front door opened slowly.

Sara stared at the tall man standing in the doorway and wondered if this was Jesse Katsoppolus. She immediately felt shy, but her question was answered when the man introduced himself.

"Hi, I'm Danny, Jesse's brother-in-law. You must be Ms. Morrison, and you must be Sara." Danny said with a smile at Sara. Sara looked away, feeling uncomfortable, and wishing she were back with Britney doing homework.

"Yes, that's us. We're here for an interview with Mr. and Mrs. Katsoppolus." Ms. Morrison explained as she shook Danny's hand. Danny nodded.

"Of course, come with me." Danny led the way through a very large living room. As Sara followed her social worker and Danny, she gazed around the room. She saw pictures on the walls of three girls, all with blonde hair. She wondered if Jesse and Becky already had their own kids, or if these kids were Danny's. There were toys on the floor; they looked like toddler toys, and she saw a stack of games in the corner. On the fireplace, there was a framed picture of nine different people. She recognized Danny in the photo, with his arms around the youngest blonde girl. _She must be his daughter. I wonder if the other two are his too._ Sara wondered curiously. In the photo, she saw many other people she didn't know. She didn't have much time to stare at the photo much longer as Danny led them through a door and into the kitchen.

Sara saw a couple sitting at the kitchen table, flipping through what looked like a photo album. Sara guessed this must be Jesse and Becky, and she immediately felt nervous. Danny cleared his throat and the couple looked up.

"Oh hi Ms. Morrison." Jesse greeted, and he looked at his watch. "You're a little early. We were just looking at our wedding pictures." Jesse thanked Danny as he left the room to do some cleaning upstairs.

"Traffic wasn't as bad as I expected it to be at this hour, so here we are. I hope it's not too early for you." Ms. Morrison explained.

"No of course not. Come in. Sit down." Becky shut the photo album and pushed it aside as Ms. Morrison sat down and motioned for Sara to do the same. Sara sat next to Ms. Morrison, clutching her hands together tightly, watching them turn purple. She could feel Jesse and Becky staring at her, so she didn't look up.

"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Katsoppolus." Ms. Morrison started as she pulled open her briefcase and placed a notebook in front of her.

"Please, call us Jesse and Becky." Becky said with a smile. Ms. Morrison nodded.

"Okay. Jesse and Becky, this is Sara Stevenson." She introduced. Jesse and Becky both smiled at the young girl, who didn't move.

"Hi Sara." Becky greeted carefully, not wanting to scare the girl. Sara didn't respond and Ms. Morrison was beginning to feel impatient with Sara, so she nudged her gently.

"Hi." Sara said meekly.

"It's nice to meet you Sara." Jesse said. Ms. Morrison looked at Sara, wishing she would say something, but Sara kept her mouth shut.

"Well, the purpose of an interview is to get to know each other, so if either of you have any questions for Sara, fire away. And Sara, you can ask questions too, if you'd like." Ms. Morrison said, knowing full well Sara wasn't about to initiate any conversation. Jesse and Becky waited to see if Sara would ask any questions, and when she didn't say anything, Jesse decided to start.

"Okay, well, Sara. Do you like music?" He asked. Becky rolled her eyes with a smile, knowing of course that would be Jesse's first question. Sara shrugged.

"I guess so." She replied.

"Have you ever heard of a band called Jesse and the Rippers?" Jesse asked. Becky nudged him gently.

"Jess, this is an interview, not a chance to advertise your band." She said with a laugh. She turned and swore she saw a smile cross Sara's face, but it disappeared pretty quickly.

"What do you like to do for fun Sara?" Becky asked, eager to learn more about the girl sitting across from them. Sara shrugged again.

"Play sports." She said.

"What kind of sports? What's your favorite sport?" Becky asked.

"Basketball."

"That's my favorite too. I used to play in high school, but of course that was ages ago. I still go outside every now and then and play with the net out back." Becky smiled. Sara only nodded, as she secretly glanced at her watch, wondering how much longer she would have to sit here.

Jesse and Becky continued asking questions for half an hour or so, as Ms. Morrison took notes. Sara felt exhausted, speaking to strangers for this long, so she was pleased when Ms. Morrison glanced at her watch and began putting away her notebook.

"Well, we'd best be on our way. Sara still has homework to do, don't you Sara?" Ms. Morrison asked as she looked at Sara, who only shrugged again. She stood when everybody else did, and Ms. Morrison looked from Jesse and Becky back to Sara.

"Sara, will you go out and wait by the car? I have some things I need to discuss with Jesse and Becky privately." Ms. Morrison said. Sara didn't argue, she just went without a fuss.

"Bye Sara, it was nice to meet you." Becky called after her, but Sara didn't respond. She just walked out of the kitchen and out to Ms. Morrison's car

Ms. Morrison turned to the couple.

"I'm sorry about that. Sara is so reserved and shy around adults. Believe it or not, she's like that with me most of the time too." Ms. Morrison explained.

"Oh that's okay. You don't need to apologize." Jesse said. Ms. Morrison sighed.

"She can be a bit of handful sometimes." She shook her head. "So if you'd like, we can set up a different interview with a different girl, if you want to explore some options."

"Well, I guess Jesse and I will discuss some things and give you a call when we decide what we want to do." Becky explained. Ms. Morrison nodded.

"That's fine, my phone is always on. Thank you both." She shook their hands and Jesse and Becky walked her out the door.

* * *

Sara was waiting outside of Ms. Morrison's car, leaning against it with her arms crossed.

"Oh sorry, I should have given you the keys." She apologized as she unlocked the car door. Sara sunk into her seat and slammed the door shut. Ms. Morrison sighed and got in the driver's seat and began driving back to the group home.

"Sara, I didn't find you were very polite to the Katsoppolus's. They just wanted to get to know you better." Ms. Morrison pointed out, as Sara's eyes remained fixed on the passing scenery.

"So what if I wasn't polite?" Sara snapped.

"Sara, don't give me attitude. You've been snappy all day. Jesse and Becky are very nice people; you should have been nice to them." Ms. Morison replied.

"I didn't feel like it."

"Sara, why won't you just talk to me? Why won't you just tell me why this whole idea of adoption bothers you so much?"

"Why won't you just leave me alone?" Sara said cockily. The rest of the ride was silent, especially after Ms. Morrison had given Sara a detention for the evening for her bad attitude.


	4. The Good News

Jesse and Becky sat on the living room sofa, discussing the interview that had just taken place.

"So, what did you think of her?" Jesse asked, as he held his wife's hand, knowing they were discussing one of the most important decisions they may ever make together.

"Well, honestly, I really liked her. I do think she has some problems that need to be addressed, but I think we'll get that with any child we may meet. I think she's sweet and I think somewhere deep down she wants to trust somebody. I honestly think if we did adopt her, and put her into some kind of therapy to help her, she'd be okay." Becky said honestly. "What did you think?"

"I liked her too. Like you said, she does have problems, but I think she would be okay. I think what she needs is a family. From what she's told us about herself, I really think her and Steph would get along." Jesse said with a laugh. Becky laughed too.

"I got that impression too Jess." She admitted. The two sat in silence for a few moments, as if considering the possibilities.

"What are you thinking?" Becky asked after a few minutes. Jesse lowered his head.

"Becky, I think I really want to adopt her." He admitted. Becky smiled and gently hit him.

"You're kidding. A couple of days ago, you thought adoption was a bad idea." She said.

"I never said it was a _bad_ idea. I was just worried about the whole idea. But now that we've met Sara and talked about it a lot more, I don't know. It just seems right. I don't know about you, but I sort of felt some sort of connection when I met Sara. Maybe that's weird, but I kind of felt like we were meant to be her parents." Jesse explained. Becky shook her head unbelievingly.

"That's amazing Jesse. I felt it too. I thought it was just some kind of motherly instinct, but it felt like it was more than that. I really want us to be the ones to help Sara. I want us to be the ones to show her that people aren't going to hurt her like her parents did. Oh Jesse, I want to love her." She said. Jesse smiled.

"Me too." He agreed.

"So, are you saying, you want to adopt Sara?" Becky asked. Jesse grinned.

"I guess I am. Do you?" He asked. Becky raised her eyebrows with a smile.

"Of course I do. Jesse, you know I've been for the adoption process all along." She said. He nodded.

"I know, I'm sorry it took me so long to get to this point." He apologized. Becky leaned in and kissed him.

"I don't care. We got to this point together and hopefully, Sara will soon be a part of our family." She said.

"Should we call Ms. Morrison?" Jesse asked. Becky nodded.

"Yes, we should. But I think we should wait until morning." She replied.

* * *

That evening at dinner, Jesse and Becky told the family about their decision and everybody was excited.

"So have you called the social worker yet?" Joey asked excitedly. Jesse laughed.

"Relax Joey. We're calling in the morning. Don't worry, Sara will still be there, I'm sure." He replied with a grin.

"So what color are you going to paint her room?" Stephanie asked as she stuffed a large forkful of spaghetti in her mouth. Jesse shrugged.

"How the heck should I know? I know nothing about girl's bedrooms." He admitted plainly. Becky laughed.

"We haven't actually talked about that kind of stuff yet. I mean, we don't want to make those kinds of decisions until we're sure there isn't any problem with the adoption. I mean, there's always a small chance we won't be able to adopt Sara." She said, suddenly feeling very nervous about the phone call she was about to make the next day.

* * *

It was now Thursday morning, and Jesse and Becky didn't even bother to get dressed as they came downstairs to use the telephone to call Ms. Morrison. As the couple made their way into the living room, they realized everybody else was already sitting in the living room, all wearing their pajamas as well. Becky laughed.

"What are you all doing here?" She asked.

"We want to be here when you make the phone call." Stephanie replied, speaking on behalf of her family.

"You guys are all crazy." Jesse said with a smile.

"No, we're family. If we're adding someone to the family, we're a part of it too." Danny explained. Jesse and Becky smiled.

"You guys are great. Just make sure you keep it down while I'm on the phone." Becky said as she picked up the receiver of the phone. Everybody leaned in as Jesse held his wife's hand. Becky took a deep breath, feeling nervous, and dialed Ms. Morrison's phone number.

Ms. Morrison was in her office, working on some paper work when her phone rang. She answered it.

"Ms. Morrison, it's Becky Katsoppolus." Becky greeted.

"Oh hello Becky, how are you?" Ms. Morrison asked, curious as to why the Katsoppolus' were calling back. _I wonder if they want to set up another interview._

"We're doing great Ms. Morrison, thanks for asking. How are you?" Becky asked.

"I'm doing well, thanks. What can I help you with? Were you thinking of setting up another interview?" Ms. Morrison asked, feeling a little disappointed that they weren't interested in Sara, but little did she know she was wrong.

"Actually, no we don't. Jesse and I have been discussing some things and we really hope we can do it. We want to adopt Sara." Becky explained. Ms. Morrison felt her heart skip a beat and a smile crossed her face. She wanted to jump for joy, but maintained her composure.

"You do? You'd like to adopt her?" Ms. Morrison asked, as if making sure she had heard her correctly.

"Yes we would. We think she's a very sweet girl who needs a lot of love and we have that love and would like to share it with her." Becky explained, as Jesse squeezed her hand in agreement.

"Well, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you all. I've been hoping Sara would find a family since she's been here. I really believe that would help her overcome the pain she's been feeling. Not right away, but eventually." Ms. Morrison said.

"Jesse and I were thinking the same thing. Of course, we've talked about it together, and discussed the possibility of putting Sara into therapy or something, just to help things along. What do you think about that?" Becky asked, wanting as much advice as she could for the daughter she was about to adopt.

"I think that's a wonderful idea. Every little bit helps." Ms. Morrison replied. Becky paused and smiled at her family.

"So, how soon do you think we can have Sara come?" She asked, hoping it would be sooner rather than later. Becky could hear papers' rustling on the other end of the phone, as Ms. Morrison was searching for her date book. She flipped through her calendar quickly, not wanting to keep Becky waiting.

"Well, I can send you a fax with the adoption papers today and if you fill them out immediately and send them back as soon as you can, I think we can have Sara packed and ready to go by next Friday." Ms. Morrison said. Becky felt her heart skip a beat. _This is really real now. We're adopting Sara. We're going to be her parents._

"That's perfect. We can't wait." Becky said with a smile.

"Okay, I'll send them immediately. I still have your fax number from your last visit here, so I'll send them to that number." Ms. Morrison explained.

"That's great. Thank you so much Ms. Morrison."

"No problem. I'll probably call you in the middle of next week just to update you on what time we should be there on Friday."

"Thank you very much Ms. Morrison. We'll talk to you then. Goodbye." Becky hung up the phone and everybody knew by the huge smile on Becky's face that Jesse and Becky were going to be the official parents of Sara.

"Becky? What did she say?" Jesse asked, as everybody listened carefully and anxiously. Becky sighed happily.

"Ms. Morrison is sending us the adoption papers as we speak and if we fill them out and send them back right away, we can have Sara by next Friday." She explained. Everybody cheered as Jesse gave his wife a big hug. As everybody chatted excitedly about the new addition, Jesse stared at his wife.

"Can you believe it? We're going to be parents to a teenager." He whispered.

"I know. Are you sure we made the right choice?" Becky asked, knowing they had, but wanting to know what her husband thought. He smiled.

"Yes, I'm positive. I felt it from the minute I saw her, and I feel it every time I see your face." Jesse kissed her. "Just think, next Friday, a new life starts for all of us."


	5. The Bad News For Sara

Ms. Morrison hung up her telephone smiling, feeling so happy that she had found a good home for Sara. Ever since Sara had come to Jacobson Group Home on her thirteenth birthday, Ms. Morrison wanted that sad little girl to find happiness, and to learn to trust again. Ms. Morrison knew that Sara had lost so much faith in everybody, especially adults, after what her parents did to her. Ms. Morrison had tried many times to get Sara to talk to her about that day when she was nine, but Sara wouldn't. From the first time Ms. Morrison met Sara, she truly felt what Sara needed was a second chance, to prove that not all people would hurt her, like her parents did.

Now, Ms. Morrison would have the opportunity to see Sara be adopted into a family that would truly care for her. Ms. Morrison deeply hoped that Jesse and Becky would be the perfect people to prove to Sara just how special she was and just how much she deserved to be loved and cared for.

Ms. Morrison now feared telling Sara about the adoption. She knew Sara would be absolutely furious. She knew Sara would argue, yell, and scream about how much she didn't want to be adopted but Ms. Morrison deeply hoped that one day, Sara would be able to look back and see the good in the situation.

* * *

After classes had finished that same afternoon, Britney and Sara decided to wait to do their homework and they went outside in the front yard. They sprawled out on the green grass and stared up at the clouds in the sky.

"Don't you ever feel like a little kid, lying on the grass, staring at the clouds?" Britney asked. Sara smiled.

"Nah, besides, we won't be kids forever. We only have a few years left of being able to do things like this." She replied. Britney giggled, and silence followed. She then realized that Sara hadn't said a word about her interview the day before. Britney had wanted to ask when Sara first got home, but she had looked so angry, Britney didn't dare. But now, lying on the grass, Sara seemed calmer, so Britney decided to bring it up.

"Hey Sara, you never told me about your interview yesterday." Britney said cautiously. Sara was silent for a moment and then sighed.

"There's really nothing to tell. It was stupid." Sara replied in a monotone voice.

"Why was it stupid?" Britney asked.

"It was an interview that I didn't want to be at."

"Well, were they nice?"

"I guess." Sara stared at the sky and Britney felt as though Sara was being evasive, but Britney decided to ask one last question.

"Do you think they wanted to adopt you?" She asked.

"No! They won't! They can't!" Sara snapped rather quickly.

"Why?" Britney asked, not understanding.

"They just can't, okay?" Sara said loudly and Britney knew that was the end of it. She knew not to push any further but Britney wondered how angry Sara would get if she ever were adopted.

"Hi girls." They heard a voice say. Britney and Sara looked up and saw Ms. Morrison standing over the sprawled out girls.

"Hey Ms. Morrison." Britney greeted, but Sara remained silent. _She's probably still angry with me for setting up the interview. She'll never speak to me once she knows she's adopted._ Ms. Morrison thought.

"Don't you girls have homework to do?" Ms. Morrison asked.

"Yeah, we'll have it done before dinner like we're supposed to. We just wanted to get some air first." Britney replied. Ms. Morrison nodded.

"Just as long as it gets done." She paused. "Britney, would you mind if I had a moment alone with Sara?" Sara felt her stomach jolt as she finally craned her neck to look at her social worker.

"Sure. I guess I'll go get started on my homework. I'll see you inside Sara." Britney stood and left to go inside, leaving Sara alone with Ms. Morrison. Ms. Morrison knelt down on the grass next to Sara who didn't move.

"Sara, I need to talk to you about something very important." Ms. Morrison started. She felt very nervous as Sara stared at her with chocolate brown eyes.

"What?" Sara asked curiously. Ms. Morrison took a deep breath.

"Sara, I got a phone call from Becky Katsoppolus this morning." She started. To her surprise, Sara smiled a little.

"Let me guess, they decided I wasn't what they were looking for and they set up another interview." Sara said with a little smirk.

"Sara, why must you always assume people don't like you? Jesse and Becky really liked you and all they want to do is share their love with you." Ms. Morrison replied. Sara grew serious as she stared up at her social worker.

"Wait a minute. What do you mean they want to share their love with me? You're not saying…" Sara couldn't bring herself to finish, but Ms. Morrison did for her.

"Sara, they've adopted you. The paperwork went through this afternoon and you'll be moving in with them next Friday." Ms. Morrison blurted out, knowing it would have to come out eventually.

Sara jumped to her feet quickly.

"No! You're lying! This isn't happening!" She screamed. Ms. Morrison stood too and stared hard at Sara.

"I'm sorry, but it is happening. Jesse and Becky have adopted you. Oh Sara, they want to love you so much. If only you'd let them, and open yourself up to them, you'd see that not everyone wants to hurt you like your mom and dad did." She said.

"Don't talk to me about my mom and dad! Jesse and Becky will not be my parents! I don't care what any of you say! This isn't fair!" Sara turned to run off, but Ms. Morrison grabbed her arm gently, pulling her back.

"Sara, no. Don't run off like this. Please just talk to me. Tell me what you're feeling. Just let me help." Ms. Morrison pleaded.

"Let me go! Just leave me alone!" Sara screamed, quickly pulling away from Ms. Morrison, and she ran in the opposite direction.

"Sara, come back!" Ms. Morrison called, but it was no use. Sara disappeared through the front gates of the group home.


	6. Lost Connections

"Ms. Morrison, where did Sara go?" Britney asked moments later when her social worker walked through the front doors. Ms. Morrison sighed.

"I don't know Britney. She was angry and she just ran off." She said, obviously upset. Britney was immediately concerned for her best friend.

"What happened?" She asked. Ms. Morrison hesitated, but knew Britney would eventually find out, since she was Sara's best friend.

"I got a call this morning from Becky Katsoppolus." Ms. Morrison replied, but before she could explain anything else, Britney spoke.

"She was adopted, wasn't she?" She asked. Ms. Morrison only nodded and Britney smiled.

"Oh that's great! Oh Ms. Morrison, I hoped they would." She said happily. Ms. Morrison managed to smile a little too.

"I was happy too, but Sara isn't very happy about it. She yelled at me and ran away. I have no idea where she went." She explained. Britney looked at the floor.

"Well, I do." Britney spoke up. Ms. Morrison stared at her seriously.

"Where is she Britney?" She asked. Britney shifted uncomfortably.

"Ms. Morrison, do you mind if I go after her? Maybe she'll talk to me." Britney replied. Ms. Morrison wanted to say no, but knew that as much as Ms. Morrison wanted to be the one to go after Sara and talk to her, Sara would only run away again if she saw Ms. Morrison approaching.

"Okay Britney, you can go. Just please make sure the two of you are back for dinner." Ms. Morrison said quietly and she watched sadly as Britney left the building. _Oh Sara, I hope you don't hate me forever._ Ms. Morrison sighed and left to go do some work in her office.

* * *

Britney walked over to the park across the street from Jacobson Group Home. She knew that was where Sara would go, because both girls loved that park and went there all the time. Sure enough, as she approached the park, she saw Sara hanging from the monkey bars, swinging upside down. Britney walked up to her until she was face to face to Sara's upside down face.

"Hi Sara." She greeted quietly. Sara stared at her best friend for a minute, pulled herself up on the monkey bars, and jumped down carefully, landing next to Britney.

"Have you heard what happened?" Sara asked with angry raised eyebrows. Britney nodded. Sara shook her head and looked away.

"It's not fair. How could she do this to me?" She asked, raising her voice.

"Ms. Morrison didn't do this to you. She's been looking out for you since the day you got here. You know better than to think she did this to you to hurt you." Britney said defensively.

"She knows how much I don't want to be adopted, but she still lets the stupid papers go through. She doesn't care about me!" Sara yelled.

"Yes she does! She wants what's best for you; we all do. Can't you see that? Why can't you just see that maybe being adopted will be good for you?" Britney yelled back. Sara's eyes widened and she could feel the anger rising inside of her.

"I can't believe this! You're on her side! You don't care about my feelings either!" Sara screamed. Britney's mouth dropped open.

"Sara! Listen to yourself, you're totally overreacting!" She yelled.

"You know what? I don't need this right now!" Sara said, and she turned her back on Britney.

"Fine! I'll leave, but Ms. Morrison wants you back for dinner. It won't be my fault if you get in trouble for not showing up." With that, Britney turned and walked away, leaving Sara with her arms crossed. Sara turned and saw that Britney had left. Sara sighed heavily. _Nobody understands. Nobody cares. I'm all alone._ Sara felt a tear trickle down her face, and she wiped it away quickly. _Fine, I don't need anybody._ With that, Sara climbed the monkey bars and ignored the pain she was feeling once again.


	7. Reconnect

It was now the next Thursday, the day before Sara would be moving in. Jesse and Becky were up in the attic, finishing up the last few touches on Sara's new bedroom. They had just finished painting the second coat. They had spent a lot of time trying to decide what color would best suit a 13-year-old girl.

"Do you think pink is too girly?" Becky had asked. Jesse shuddered.

"Yes it is, in my opinion. But from Sara's perspective, she struck me as a tomboy so pink might be too much." He had replied, so the two went to Stephanie for advice. She had recommended baby blue.

"It's a good neutral color you really can't go wrong with." Stephanie explained so they took her advice.

Now Jesse and Becky were staring at the finished blue walls with smiles on their faces.

"I think that looks perfect." Becky said happily.

"So all we have left to do is put in the furniture and all the last minute stuff." Jesse added. Becky nodded and then sighed.

"Do you think we still made the right choice?" She asked. "I mean, there's no going back."

"You're right, no going back, only forward, but I really think this is right. I felt it when I first met her." Jesse replied.

"I did too, and I really think Sara needs us, even though she may not ever admit it." Becky said as she leaned against her husband. He held her close.

"You're right, it may take some time for us to get through to her but we'll manage. We'll get through to her but we'll manage. We'll get through it as a family." Jesse said. Becky smiled.

"You're right. Family's never failed us before." She said. They held each other close as they stayed in Sara's new bedroom for a while, taking it all in. In 24 hours, they would become the new parents of a 13-year-old girl.

* * *

Sara woke up early on Friday morning, when the sunlight shone through the window in the dormitory. She had barely slept all night, as she worried about the next day. Sara felt so frightened and confused; she didn't know what to do. She was completely alone. She hadn't spoken to Britney since they argued in the park, and she was avoiding Ms. Morrison as well. She didn't want to see, or talk to anybody. She hadn't been eating either. She had no desire to eat food; she felt too depressed and nervous. She had been excusing herself from all meals, bringing her food up to the dormitory, and then throwing the food away. Her whole life was changing, and she had no say in the matter. Part of her was wishing she and Britney were still speaking, because she was dealing with one of the hardest things she had ever dealt with, and she didn't even have her best friend with her. She just felt so angry, but at the same time, she felt so alone. Sara could no longer make sense of her feelings. She couldn't make sense out of anything. She couldn't make sense of the fact that she wasn't eating at all, and she especially couldn't make sense of the fact that she had cut her wrist the day before. It was something Sara had never done before, but could remember watching her mother doing it. Luckily, she was able to cover the shallow cuts with several bracelets she owned. Sara felt as though she were falling apart, emotionally and physically. She had been feeling so sick for the last few days, and when she woke up that Friday morning, it was worse than ever.

Sara heard the dormitory door open and she knew it would probably be Ms. Morrison, so she closed her eyes tightly, hoping to avoid her. Ms. Morrison sat on the edge of Sara's bed, and shook the young girl gently. Sara opened her eyes and stared at her social worker. _Oh gosh, we're not leaving yet are we?_ Sara thought to herself as she waited for Ms. Morrison to say something.

"Good morning Sara. I just wanted to come and let you know we're going to be leaving here after your classes, around 3:00p.m., so I think that maybe you should pack before breakfast, so we'll be ready to go." Ms. Morrison said, and Sara saw something she hadn't seen in Ms. Morrison before. A sense of sadness. Sara hadn't thought about this before, but was Ms. Morrison sad that Sara was leaving? All at once, Sara had realized she had been thinking about herself so much through the past week, she hadn't thought about how this was affecting Ms. Morrison, or even Britney. It was then that Sara began to feel overwhelmingly depressed. It suddenly hit her; she was leaving today, and she had spent the whole week avoiding the only two people in her life that mattered.

"Okay." Sara said meekly, surprising Ms. Morrison. Ms. Morrison thought she was going to get the usual attitude from Sara, and she knew that something was up.

"Sara, are you okay?" Ms. Morrison asked, knowing very well the young girl was not okay, but had to ask anyway. Sara shrugged.

"You'll…you'll come visit me when I'm there, won't you?" She asked quietly, holding back a tear. Ms. Morrison smiled and pulled the girl into a loving hug.

"Of course I'm going to visit you. I love you very much, and I know you'll be just fine." Ms. Morrison pulled out of the hug and looked over at Britney's bed, where Britney was still sleeping soundly. "But if I were you, I'd try to make things right with Britney before you leave. She misses you, and I know you miss her too." Ms. Morrison tapped Sara on the nose gently as she walked out of the dormitory. Sara sighed, and knew her social worker was right. She did miss her best friend, and she knew very well she couldn't leave today without making amends with Britney.

Sara crawled out of bed and hopped onto Britney's, causing her to stir slightly. Sara had felt so ashamed suddenly for ignoring her all week, and prayed to God that Britney would forgive her.

Britney's eyes opened slowly and she looked up to see Sara sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Hi." Sara whispered shyly as Britney sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes. Sara didn't really know how Britney would react to her speaking to her for the first time in a week, but she needed to try. By the end of the day, she would be leaving for good, and knew she would not be allowed to see Britney on a daily basis. Things were going to change, and Sara definitely did not want to leave on a bad note with her best friend. Sara felt her eyes stinging as she thought about leaving Britney. She would no longer have the luxury of being able to lie on the front lawn with her, staring at the clouds, or swinging on the swings at the park, or even the little things like waking up in the morning together and going to bed together at night. Sara never realized how special Britney had been to her during the last several months. Britney had been the first to greet Sara and they became friends instantly, and now, as Sara waited for Britney to say something, she wondered if their friendship would survive the adoption. She kept her tears back, as Britney yawned and finally responded.

"Hey Sara, so you're talking to me now?" She asked with a frown. Sara looked down.

"I shouldn't have got angry. I'm sorry Britney. I've just been really…really…"

"I know. It's okay." Britney replied with a small smile. Sara returned it with a sigh.

"You don't look too good Sara, are you feeling alright?" Britney asked, noticing the pale color in Sara's cheeks. Sara shrugged.

"Nerves, I guess." She replied. She began to wonder if it was just nerves though. She felt weak, lightheaded and she felt nauseated, but she didn't tell anybody.

"Do you know when you're leaving?" Britney asked.

"After class, so I'm supposed to pack now. Ms. Morrison wants to leave right away." Sara replied. Britney sighed and Sara was sure she saw a single tear roll down her cheek.

"I'm gonna miss you too Britney." Sara struggled to say, and the two girls embraced. Britney cried, but Sara couldn't. She knew if she allowed herself to cry, she wouldn't be able to stop.

"Well, uh, can I help you pack?" Britney asked as she wiped away her last tear. Sara nodded as she pulled out the large suitcase Ms. Morrison had left for her. For the rest of the morning, while the other girls were waking up, Britney and Sara packed. When they had finished, Britney asked if she wanted to go get some breakfast.

"No that's okay. I already had some before you woke up." Sara lied, and she watched as Britney shrugged and left the dormitory with the other girls.

* * *

Sara didn't bother taking any notebooks or pencils to class with her since it was her last day. She went to her first class and sat at her desk alone, waiting for her classmates to finish breakfast. So many thoughts were racing through her mind as she stared out the window. She tried to think of a way to get out of it, but knew it was impossible. She knew how the system worked. Once the papers were signed, it was permanent. She tried to imagine what it would be like when she walked into that large house on Gerrard Street for the second time. Ms. Morrison wouldn't stay with her like she did for the interview. Sara would be alone with these strangers. Sara began to feel sick again and she laid her head on her desk as her classmates began to enter. Sara sighed. She wouldn't even be able to spend her last six hours with Britney because she was stuck in her eighth grade class while Britney was in her ninth grade class. Sara just wanted to cry but just before her teacher, Ms. Alfonzo began the English lesson, Ms. Morrison knocked on the door and she quietly spoke to Ms. Alfonzo by the door. _Oh gosh, I hope I'm not leaving early._ Sara felt her stomach turn as Ms. Morrison stared at her and beckoned her to the door. Sara swallowed hard and could feel her classmates' eyes on her as she got up and followed her social worker out of the classroom. Ms. Morrison shut the door behind them and could immediately read Sara's facial expression.

"No! We're not leaving yet, don't worry honey. I have a surprise for you." She watched as Sara's face changed from fear to confusion. Ms. Morrison smiled and pointed at the front doors. Sara turned and saw Britney standing, holding a basketball, with a smile. Sara puckered her brow and looked back at her social worker.

"What's going on, Ms. Morrison?" Sara asked with confusion in her eyes.

"It's your last day. I want you to spend it with your best friend. You guys have permission to go to the park. I've excused you both from your classes." Ms. Morrison smiled as she saw Sara's face light up.

"Are you serious?" Sara asked with the smallest hint of a smile. Ms. Morrison nodded.

"Today is your day Sara. It's the least I can do." She replied. Sara smiled, thanked her, and ran toward the door but stopped herself halfway. _It's your day._ She thought about all the people who she would be leaving behind, and two of them stood out in her mind. Britney, her best friend, who had been so great to her, and her social worker, Ms. Morrison. Sara realized just then how much her social worker meant to her. Ms. Morrison had always done everything she could to take care of Sara, and had always been there for her, even though Sara would never let her in. Ms. Morrison never gave up on her, and as Sara looked back at Ms. Morrison, with Britney waiting by the front doors, Sara knew that Ms. Morrison truly loved her, and Sara would greatly miss her.

She walked back to Ms. Morrison, who looked at her curiously.

"Sara, what are you doing? Don't you want to go?" She asked. Sara nodded.

"Yes, I do. But you said this is my day, so…I want you to come too." She replied quietly. Ms. Morrison's heart sank. She was very surprised, especially since Sara had never opened up to her before today, and now she wanted to spend time with her. Ms. Morrison smiled.

"You want me to come? Are you sure?" She asked. Sara nodded.

"Yes, I'm sure. I want to spend my last day with Britney, and with you." She replied. Ms. Morrison nodded with a big smile.

"Alright then, let's go." She said and she followed the girls out the door and to the park.

* * *

For the rest of the day, Sara, Britney and Ms. Morrison played basketball at the park, swung on the swings, played a game of hide and seek and had a picnic. Sara had felt so happy in those hours spent with the two most important people in her life. Her stomach ache was forgotten, as were all of her concerns and fears about being adopted, and for those hours, she didn't even think about any of it.

Until 2:30p.m.


	8. Goodbyes

Sara sat on her bed, waiting for Ms. Morrison to come and get her. She had said she just had to get some last minute papers. Sara waited, next to her suitcase, with Britney sitting next to her. Neither girl said a word, but they both knew that very shortly, they would have to say goodbye. Sara knew it wouldn't be forever, but she knew a lot was going to change. Britney realized this as well, so there was little that needed to be said.

Sara was feeling more and more queasy as time went by. She didn't know what the rest of her life would hold. She was moving in with people who were strangers to her. As she continued to wait for Ms. Morrison, she felt more and more like she was going to faint.

At exactly 2:47p.m. (Sara was checking her watch every minute), Ms. Morrison walked through the door. She didn't have to say anything, Sara knew it was time. There was a small part of her that wanted to cross her arms and refuse to go, but she knew Ms. Morrison was sad enough as it was. Sara had no desire to make this difficult for her social worker, no matter how much she wished she could stay.

Sara stood up and looked desperately at Britney. Britney got up and helped Sara drag her suitcase outside to the car, with Ms. Morrison following close behind. Ms. Morrison took the suitcase from the girls and opened up her trunk. Sara stared hard at Britney, as Ms. Morrison loaded her only suitcase into the car.

"Sara, do me a favor. At least try to be happy." Britney said with a tear in her eye. Sara felt like she would never be happy with this arrangement, but didn't want to tell this to her best friend.

"I'll try." Sara said quietly. Britney nodded.

"And you'd better visit me." She said.

"I will. Even if these people won't let me, I'll come anyway." Sara replied as she saw Ms. Morrison raise an eyebrow disapprovingly. Britney smiled.

"Good luck Sara." She said as she embraced her best friend. Sara never wanted to let go. She knew when she did, she would have to leave. She kept herself from crying as she pulled out of the hug and saw that Britney was crying.

"Oh Britney, don't cry. It's going to be okay." Sara said as her heart broke.

"I know. I'm just…I'm just going to miss you." Britney replied. Sara closed her eyes.

"I'm gonna miss you too, but we'll always be best friends." She explained. Britney nodded, signaling she knew this.

"Sara. I'm sorry, we have to go." Ms. Morrison spoke up quietly. Sara felt her stomach jolt, and she felt as though she were going to throw up. She hugged Britney tightly one more time.

"Bye." Sara whispered. Britney sniffled.

"Bye." Britney continued to cry as she watched her best friend get into the front seat of Ms. Morrison's car. Ms. Morrison gave Britney a hug.

"I'll be back soon okay? We can talk." She said. Britney nodded as Ms. Morrison got in the front seat. Sara stared out of the window and stared at her best friend until they had driven out the front gates.

Sara continued to stare out her window during the entire drive to Gerrard Street. Ms. Morrison kept her tears hidden as she kept looking over at the little girl who she had been responsible for the last several months.

"Sara, I had a lot of fun today. Thank you for asking me to come." Ms. Morrison said. Sara didn't turn, she only nodded.

"You're welcome." She said meekly.

"Listen Sara. Jesse and Becky Katsoppolus are very nice people who just want to show you love. Try to remember that okay honey? They aren't out to hurt you." Ms. Morrison said, knowing that whatever she wanted Sara to know, she had to tell her now, because there wouldn't be another chance. Sara sighed deeply, not believing this at all, but she nodded quickly. The rest of the ride was silent until they pulled into the driveway of 1882 Gerrard Street. Ms. Morrison noticed Sara was trembling as she stared up at the house. Ms. Morrison leaned over.

"Sara, you'll be fine. Just open up to them. Let them in. Always remember that I love you and you can always call me if you need to talk. I may no longer be your social worker anymore, but I'm still available for you." She said quietly. She was surprised when she saw, for the first time, a single tear roll down Sara's face. Ms. Morrison pulled her into a hug, not wanting to let go. She had grown so attached to this young girl and was sad to let her go, but was also hopeful that this was what Sara needed to open up and know that everybody was not out to get her.

Ms. Morrison got out of the car and pulled Sara's suitcase out of the trunk. Sara didn't move right away, which worried Ms. Morrison, but as she looked through Sara's window, Sara opened her door and got out of the car.

"Good girl." Ms. Morrison said as the two walked up the front steps and Ms. Morrison rang the doorbell. Sara felt so dizzy; she closed her eyes for a moment.

"Honey, are you okay?" Ms. Morrison asked worriedly as she felt Sara's forehead.

"I'm fine. I'm just a little sick." Sara replied. Just then, the front door opened and Jesse and Becky stood on the other side of the door.

Sara couldn't have felt worse.


	9. Arrival

Sara found herself in the same kitchen she had been sitting in a week ago, for her interview. Ms. Morrison was discussing some things with Jesse and Becky. She talked about the standard visitations Ms. Morrison would be making in a week to check up on things. She had Jesse and Becky sign a few more papers and placed them in a folder. Sara knew this was it. Ms. Morrison approached her and took her hands.

"I'm leaving now. Be good okay? Remember what I told you and my phone is always there if you need to call. Promise me you'll think about what I said." Ms. Morrison said. Sara sighed and looked over at Jesse and Becky, who were watching them. Sara looked back to Ms. Morrison and sighed.

"Okay." Sara said quietly. Ms. Morrison squeezed her tightly and kissed her head. She gave a little wave as she turned to Jesse and Becky.

"Before I leave, I'd like to speak to the two of you privately." She said. Sara immediately felt uncomfortable. The pain in her stomach was coming back, as Becky looked at her.

"Sara, make yourself at home. Jesse and I just need to talk to your social worker for a minute and then we'll be back." Becky said. Sara desperately wanted to go with her social worker, but she bravely nodded. The three of them stepped out of the kitchen, with Ms. Morrison waving once more to Sara.

Once they were in the living room, Jesse and Becky both shook Ms. Morrison's hand.

"Thank you so much Ms. Morrison. This means so much to us." Becky said.

"I'm glad. Now if there are any problems with Sara, call me immediately. I'm happy to know you'll put her into counseling. Just be patient. Sara is a very withdrawn little girl, but I have hope she'll open up. Just keep in mind what her parents did to her. Being abandoned has caused her to deeply distrust the idea of family and especially adults. Please keep in mind it's not you. You aren't the first. She was leery of me too. She only just started to warm up to me today. Don't give up. You've made the right choice." Ms. Morrison explained. Jesse and Becky nodded as they held hands.

"Thank you Ms. Morrison, we promise to take care of her and we won't give up." Jesse said. Ms. Morrison nodded.

"Good. I'll go now. Oh and one more thing. Sara told me she wasn't feeling too good. It's probably nothing but she looked a little pale to me. Just keep an eye on her." She said. Becky nodded.

"Thanks for telling us." She said. Ms. Morrison nodded, said goodbye after shaking their hands and left the house. Jesse and Becky stared at each other.

"I guess we should go and start being her parents." Jesse said. Becky sighed and smiled.

"It still feels weird." She confessed.

"Think of how she must be feeling." Jesse took Becky's hand and together they walked into the kitchen.

They found Sara sitting on her suitcase, playing around with an assortment of bracelets on her wrist.

"Well, hi Sara." Jesse said, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "You have a lot of bracelets there. Do you like jewelry?" Sara looked up and stood up quickly, hiding her arm behind her back.

"Yeah I just, er, forgot to pack them, so I shoved them on so I wouldn't have to open my suitcase again." Sara lied. Becky smiled.

"Well, welcome home Sara. We're really glad to have you here. How are you doing?" Becky asked. Sara didn't know how to answer that. She could like and say she was doing fine, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. She could tell them the truth and say she felt absolutely horrible and wanted to go back, but that would be rude. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"It's okay Sara. It's normal to be nervous, but remember, we're a little nervous too." Jesse admitted. Sara had never stopped to realize this. They were, after all, allowing a complete stranger to live with them. Sara only responded with a nod.

"Would you like to see your new room?" Becky asked. She didn't really wait for a response as Jesse picked up Sara's suitcase and led the way. Sara followed the couple up two flights of stairs and through a door. She realized this was the attic, and by the look of it, it was the Katsoppolus' home. There was a couch with a TV in the middle of the room. To the right was a table with five chairs and two rooms. One was the bathroom and the other looked like a little boy's bedroom. On the left was a large king-sized bed.

"This is our apartment but we spend most of our time downstairs with the family. That's the bathroom, of course, and this is the twins' bedroom. Oh yeah, I don't know if Ms. Morrison told you," Jesse still noticed the confusion on Sara's face. "We already have two boys. Twins. Nikki and Alex. They're two years old." Jesse explained. Sara was beginning to hate every minute of this. _If they already have kids, why did they want to adopt?_ Sara wondered to herself. Most of the people who adopted did so because they couldn't have kids of their own.

"That's where we sleep," Jesse pointed to the king-sized bed. "And your room is through here." Jesse led the way, carrying Sara's suitcase to a door opposite the couch and TV. He opened it to reveal the most beautiful bedroom Sara had ever seen. It reminded her of home makeover shows she used to watch with Britney. The room was painted baby blue with a basketball border. All of the furniture was white, which included a large dresser, a desk with a computer, and a double bed. Sara had never had a double bed before. Her bedspread was a darker blue and on top of the dresser was a CD player, with some new CDs beside it.

"We didn't know what kind of music you liked, but we had Stephanie's help." Jesse explained.

"Stephanie is our niece. She lives here too. A lot of people live here." Becky answered Sara's unasked question. Sara nodded slowly, not knowing what was really expected of her by these people. She partially wished Jesse and Becky would let her have some time alone in her new room, but she knew that they were excited and would probably want to spend as much time as possible with the new addition. Sara wanted nothing more to be lying in her old bed at the group home, sleeping off her horrible stomach ache. She felt really sick and it seemed as though Becky had noticed.

"Honey, are you okay? Ms. Morrison told us you weren't feeling too good. You look a little under the weather." Becky said with a look of concern. _Why did Ms. Morrison have to tell them? This is so humiliating._ Sara thought.

"I'm fine. Ms. Morrison's overreacting." Sara replied, secretly angry at her former social worker.

"Well, if you're feeling sick honey, tell us, and we'll do whatever we can to help." Becky said. Sara nodded, staring at the blue walls. She could feel Jesse and Becky staring at her.

"Sweetheart, is there anything you'd like to talk about?" Becky asked quietly. Sara felt her face grow hotter, and felt as though she would fall over from dizziness. _No, just leave me alone! I don't want to talk to you! Just go away._ Sara wanted to say, but didn't.

"No." She only said quietly.

"Well, please know you can always talk to us if you ever need us. I realize this is a new experience but it's important to us that you know this right off the bat, because, well, we're here for you." Becky said with a smile.

"Yeah Sara. You know, we're glad you're here. We're not here to hurt you in any way." Jesse added. Sara didn't respond, or move. She felt as though there was a boulder weighing her down. There was a moment of silence before Jesse clapped his hands together.

"Well, you've seen the attic, and a little bit of downstairs, but there's a lot more of this house to see. I guess you should probably know where everything is, since you'll be here for a while." He said as he led the way out of the bedroom. Becky followed him and looked back at Sara, and Sara knew she wouldn't be able to spend some time alone.

Sara followed as Jesse and Becky led her through the large house. She saw the bedrooms of DJ, Stephanie and Michelle, along with Danny's and Joey's. Becky had to explain who everybody was, causing Sara's head to pound even more. She then saw the basement which was Jesse's recording studio which Sara had to admit was pretty cool. She really liked the backyard, with the basketball net. There was also a large tree that seemed easy enough to climb. Sara felt the fresh air against her skin and wished she could just stay out in the cool shade but Jesse and Becky motioned her back inside and they all sat down at the kitchen table. It was silent, until the backdoor opened and a young girl with blonde hair walked in. Sara guessed she was about the same age as her, and immediately wondered who she was.

"Hey Steph, how was school?" Jesse asked, as Stephanie let her backpack fall to the floor.

"Boring as usual. I'm just glad it's the weekend." She replied, as she looked at Sara.

"Oh Stephanie, this is Sara. Sara this is our niece Stephanie. She's the same age as you." Becky explained. Sara smiled at Stephanie.

"Hi." She said shyly.

"Hey." Stephanie replied. Becky leaned over to Sara and smiled.

"She's the one who picked out your CDs." She explained. Stephanie shrugged.

"Well I had no idea what you liked, but I figured most 13-year-old girls like the same music. Did you like them?" She asked.

"I don't know, I haven't looked at them yet." Sara replied.

"Well do you want to go up to your room and listen to some of them?" Stephanie asked. Sara wanted to so badly, but she looked at Jesse and Becky, as if asking them if it was alright. She felt awkward asking, but it was as if they had read her mind.

"Go ahead girls. I'll come get you when dinner's ready." Becky replied. Sara got up and followed Stephanie up the stairs. Jesse and Becky let out a sigh.

"Well, no turning back now." Jesse said with a grin. Becky smiled.

"I think we'll be okay. It may take some time, but everything will be fine." She replied.

* * *

Sara and Stephanie spent an hour or so together, listening to Sara's new CDs, which she loved, and sitting on Sara's new bed, becoming acquainted with each other.

"So do you like the room? I helped pick out the color. Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky kept asking my opinion about everything." Stephanie said. Sara laughed.

"I like it, and I'm really glad somebody my age helped design it." She replied. Stephanie smiled. Sara really liked Stephanie and the two seemed to get along so well together. They had so much in common, music, style of clothing, movies, even celebrities. They laughed together and shared stories, becoming closer and closer, until Stephanie looked at her watch.

"Oh, I have to go. It's my turn to help my dad with dinner. Are you coming down?" Stephanie asked as she turned to leave. Sara shook her head slowly.

"No, I think I'll stay here for a while. Becky said she'd come get us for dinner anyway, so I think I'll just wait." She replied, looking down. Stephanie puckered her brow.

"Are you okay?" She asked. Sara nodded.

"Yeah, I just need some time to myself." She explained. Stephanie nodded and left. Sara stood up and felt an overwhelming rush of dizziness over her, worse than she had felt all week. She gripped the side of her dresser tightly, feeling scared. _What's wrong with me?_ She thought, and that was when everything went dark.


	10. What Becky Found

Jesse and Becky were still sitting at the kitchen table as Danny began to cook dinner in the kitchen. DJ, Michelle and Joey sat at the table with Jesse and Becky and everybody had questions.

"So when did she get here?" DJ asked.

"Is she nice?" Michelle asked.

"How is she doing?" Joey asked.

"Where is she right now? We want to meet her." Danny said. Jesse and Becky had to laugh, and Jesse tried to answer all of the family's questions.

"Whoa, slow down guys. She got here around 3:00p.m. Yes Michelle, she's nice. She's a little shy, but hopefully that will change. She seems to be doing okay, a little quiet, but she's upstairs right now with Stephanie." Jesse explained.

"I really hope Sara and Stephanie will get along. It might be good for Sara to have somebody her own age around." Becky added. Everybody continued asking questions, until Stephanie jumped down the stairs and joined her dad in the kitchen. Becky puckered her brow, looking at the stairs, hoping Sara was close behind, but she didn't come.

"Steph, where's Sara?" Becky asked curiously.

"Oh she's still in her room. I had to come help dad with dinner. I asked her if she wanted to come down, but she said she wanted some time to herself before dinner, so I left her there." Stephanie replied, as she preheated the oven.

"Well, was she okay?" Jesse asked. Stephanie shrugged.

"I guess so. She looked a little weird, like she was sick or something, but she's probably just nervous." She smiled. "I really like her though. I think we're gonna be great friends."

"That's great Steph, I'm sure she really appreciates having you around." Jesse said. Becky stood up, and Jesse looked at her.

"Honey, what's the matter?" He asked.

"Nothing, I think I'm just going to go check on Sara. She looked a little pale; I just want to make sure she's okay. I should let her know dinner's almost ready anyway. I'll be right back." With that, Becky left the kitchen and headed up to the attic apartment.

When she arrived, it was silent. She puckered her brow; she half expected to hear Sara's CDs still playing, but she heard nothing. Becky knocked quietly on Sara's door, feeling nervous, hoping everything was okay, but felt quite uneasy when there was no answer. _She's probably just shy; maybe she doesn't want to answer._ Becky knocked again, louder, hoping Sara would say something, but still, she heard nothing. She didn't want to invade on the girl's privacy, especially on her first day, but she had a bad feeling. She knocked once more, calling Sara's name and when she didn't receive an answer, she opened the door. Her stomach sank when she surveyed the scene.

"Jesse!" She screamed out loudly as she sank next to Sara, who was lying on the floor, out cold.

"Sara? Sara! Wake up honey." Becky called, slapping Sara's cheeks lightly, but Sara didn't move. Becky checked to see if she was breathing, and was relieved when she was, but she didn't know what to do. She felt so frightened, as she heard Jesse racing up the stairs and into Sara's bedroom.

"Becky what's wr- What happened?" Jesse asked with wide eyes as he knelt down next to Becky, staring at Sara's unconscious body.

"I don't know Jess, I came in to see if she was okay because she wasn't answering the door, and this is what I found. Jess, what's wrong with her?" Becky asked, as Jesse checked her pulse.

"I don't know, but at least she's breathing. I'm going to call 911; stay here." Jesse bolted out of the room to the nearest telephone as Becky began to cry a little. _What happened to you Sara?_ A horrible thought came into her head as she called out the young girl's name a few more times. She still received no answer, or movement.

* * *

Seconds later, Jesse ran back into the room.

"Okay, ambulance is on its way. I sent DJ down to meet the paramedics." He explained as he knelt back down with Becky and the very still Sara.

"Jesse, I was just thinking, what if she tried to kill herself? What if she tried to overdose or something?" Becky asked as a tear rolled down her face. Jesse looked frightened for a moment, but then his common sense kicked in.

"Beck, I don't think so. She wouldn't have had enough time after Stephanie left to swallow a bunch of pills _and_ pass out. Besides, I don't see any empty pill bottles around." Jesse concluded logically. Becky sighed and stared at Sara.

"Well then what happened?" She asked, knowing very well that Jesse didn't know the answer. They didn't have to wait very long though, as they heard DJ leading a pair of paramedics through the attic and into Sara's room. Jesse and Becky backed away to let the paramedics at Sara, and DJ stared down at Sara.

"Uncle Jesse, what happened?" She asked, looking down at the newest addition to their family for the first time.

"We don't know yet DJ. Listen, we're probably going to have to go to the hospital. Will you watch Nikki and Alex for us?" Jesse asked. DJ nodded, and left the room, as one of the paramedics approached the couple.

"We're going to have to take her to the hospital for some tests. She's just passed out, but we need to figure out why. We're going to take her right now; you can meet us there if you want." The paramedic explained. Jesse and Becky nodded.

"Of course, where can we find her?" Becky asked, as Jesse held her shaking hand.

"We'll bring her to the emergency room. Go there, and they'll direct you to where you need to go." The paramedic replied. Jesse and Becky watched as the two paramedics carried Sara out on a stretcher, and they followed closely behind until the last second, when they loaded her into the ambulance. Jesse and Becky got into their convertible and sped off, hoping that everything was okay with their new teenage daughter.


	11. Diagnosis

Jesse and Becky clutched hands in the hospital waiting room, waiting for the doctor to come and tell them what Sara's test results were. The doctor who examined Sara, Dr. Evans, had asked Jesse and Becky to wait out in the waiting room while they ran some tests. Becky couldn't believe how guilty she felt. Jesse reasoned it was her motherly instinct kicking in, but he also felt worried. He knew Becky was trying to figure out what had happened to Sara, and he found he was also considering the possibilities. Nothing seemed to make sense to him. She couldn't have any medical disabilities; Ms. Morrison would have told them about that. It didn't make sense that she attempted suicide; there wouldn't have been enough time. The only thing that made sense to Jesse was that it must be related to the fact that she wasn't feeling good earlier. _How sick was she really feeling? Why didn't she just tell us about it? We could have helped her._ He thought, but knew Sara had been nervous. She probably didn't want to talk to anybody. Still, he wished she had because they might not find themselves sitting in the cold waiting room, waiting impatiently for a doctor to come and tell them what was going on.

* * *

Finally after what seemed like hours, Dr. Evans walked into the waiting room, holding a clipboard and reading over the notes clipped to it. Jesse and Becky stood up immediately as the doctor approached them. Dr. Evans stopped and looked from Jesse to Becky and sighed.

"You're her parents I assume?" She asked with raised eyebrows. There hadn't been much time to ask all the formal questions when the ambulance had arrived. It was important to get Sara looked after immediately. The questions could come later.

"No, well yes. We're her adopted parents. We just adopted her this afternoon." Jesse explained, still trying to get used to the idea himself. Dr. Evans nodded sympathetically.

"Why don't we sit down?" She offered as she motioned them to sit back in the hard chairs they had just been sitting in for the last hour or so. Dr. Evans sat across from them, looking at her clipboard again. Jesse took Becky's hand in his own for her comfort and for his own.

"Mr. and Mrs. Katsoppolus, we ran some tests on Sara and the results have come in. I didn't like what I saw." Dr. Evans said disapprovingly. Becky felt her heart skip a beat as she felt like she was going to cry again but she waited as Dr. Evans looked up again, ready to explain.

"We took a blood sample from Sara and we found a lot of her proteins and vitamins were down. Her iron is extremely low, as well as her protein and B12 and several other important nutritional supplements. She is also mildly dehydrated. This is a result of starvation. Sara has been starving herself for a period of time. Her body was getting weaker and weaker from the lack of food and so she finally passed out. It was bound to happen, and if she doesn't start eating again, she will continue to pass out on a regular basis." Dr. Evans explained as she shook her head. Becky stared at Jesse with tears in her eyes and then back at Dr. Evans.

"Why on earth was she starving herself?" Becky asked desperately. Dr. Evans raised an eyebrow.

"That's something you two will have to ask her about. My job is to diagnose and test, but if I were you, I'd make sure she begins regularly eating again. I've put her on an I.V. and she can go home in the morning. I'd like her to remain on the I.V. overnight so she has enough nutrients in her to make it out of this hospital without passing out again. She's awake and in room 587, if you'd like to go see her. She didn't seem too thrilled about seeing anybody, but you're the parents, you make these decisions." Dr. Evans stood up to leave, but then turned back to the couple. "Oh and one more thing. If I were you, I'd take that child to see a psychologist or something. Those cuts on her wrist were a little suspicious to me." Dr. Evans walked away with her clipboard. Becky stared at Jesse with frightened eyes.

"Cuts on her wrist? Why on earth didn't we see them?" She cried out. Jesse thought for a moment and then remembered.

"The bracelets. Don't you remember how many bracelets she had on? She was probably covering them. The doctor probably removed them when she was putting in her I.V." Jesse replied, as he stood up, pulling Becky up with him.

"Where are you going Jess?" She asked through her tears.

"Don't you want to go see her?" Jesse asked, puckering his brow. Becky sighed.

"Yes Jesse I do, but I don't think she wants to see us." She replied.

"We have to start somewhere honey. She may not want to see us, but which is worse? Feeling alone through this or having someone with her? She may not like that we're there right now, but one day she'll look back and be glad she wasn't alone. It's important that she knows we care." Jesse explained. Becky nodded.

"I know Jesse." She paused. "Do you think we should call Ms. Morrison and let her know?"

"I guess we should, but let's go see Sara first." Jesse led the way to room 587, holding Becky close. He was frightened. He didn't know how Sara would react when she found out they knew about what she was doing to herself now. Little did they know that Sara was already awake in her hospital room, arms crossed, crying quietly. She felt so angry with herself for fainting, and she was angry with Jesse and Becky for making her go to the hospital. Now they would know she hadn't been eating, Dr. Evans would have told them by now. Dr. Evans also saw the cuts on Sara's wrist, what if she told Jesse and Becky about those too? She put her arm with the shallow cuts under her blanket, just in case anybody came in. She wished so badly she could just go home. Not to Jesse and Becky's house, but back with Britney. How she wished Britney were there with her, talking to her, giggling with her. She felt so alone, and just as she shed another tear, there was a small knock on the door. Sara quickly wiped away her tears; embarrassed she had shed them, and leaned back against the headboard of the hospital bed. Jesse and Becky entered the bedroom, faint smiles on their faces. Sara could tell by their expressions, especially Becky's, that they were upset. Becky even looked like she had been crying. _She wasn't crying for me. She couldn't have been._ Sara thought. Jesse and Becky walked in further and sat on the two chairs that were next to Sara's bed. Sara didn't look up; she just continued to stare at the ugly bed sheets and made sure her cut up arm was still under the blanket.

"Sara, are you okay?" Becky asked. Sara nodded, still not looking up. There was silence for a moment, before Becky spoke again.

"We know that you haven't been eating Sara. That's why you passed out, and that's probably why you haven't been feeling good. The stress of the adoption on top of the lack of nutrition was too much for your body to handle." Becky explained. Sara secretly rolled her eyes. _Great, here comes a lecture._ She thought. She didn't move. She just stared fixatedly at the wall in front of her.

"We told you earlier that we don't want to hurt you, and it's true, we don't. But we don't want you to hurt yourself either. It can be dangerous to starve yourself. I know you've probably been nervous about this; we have been too, but you can't do this to yourself." Jesse added. Becky nodded.

"And Sara, we need to know. Do you always starve yourself, or is this just something that's been happening just recently?" She asked, not sure she would get an answer. Sara felt angry. _Of course it's not always like this. This is what stress does to you! Great! Now they think I'm anorexic or something._ Out of defense, she spoke up.

"No, I don't always starve myself!" She snapped, not evening meaning to. She didn't want them, or anybody else to think she was unhealthy. _I'm fine!_

"I'm glad Sara. So this has just been a recent thing. How long have you gone without eating?" Becky asked, prying for information. Sara was feeling more and more uncomfortable as the minutes passed. She had only moved in with these strangers a few hours ago and now she was lying in a hospital bed being questioned about her health and habits.

"A week." Sara muttered, feeling ashamed. She was waiting for Jesse and Becky to react harshly, a reaction she was used to from her biological parents, but was surprised when they just nodded.

"Well, I hope from this, you'll realize you need to start eating again. I'm sure you don't want to end up here again." Jesse said, and was surprised when Sara nodded without a doubt.

* * *

Jesse and Becky sat with Sara for about an hour and not much was said. Sara didn't look at them once, and a few times, Becky asked if she was okay, but Jesse and Becky both got the impression Sara didn't want them there. Besides, visiting hours would be over in 15 minutes, as Becky checked the time. So Becky explained to Sara she would have to spend the night, which Sara was not happy about, but Becky promised they'd be back to pick her up in the morning.

"And then I think the three of us need to sit down and talk about some stuff." Jesse said, as he was thinking about the cuts on Sara's wrist that were hidden under the blanket. Sara sighed heavily as Jesse and Becky said goodbye and left the hospital room. Sara began to cry again. She didn't want to talk to Jesse and Becky. She didn't want to stay alone in the hospital. She felt frightened. As her tears ran down her face, she buried her face into her pillow and cried herself to sleep.


	12. The Talk

The car ride home the next day was very quiet. Sara leaned back quietly in the backseat of Jesse and Becky's convertible and stared at the passing trees. Jesse and Becky had arrived earlier that morning to sign Sara out of the hospital and they noticed the color had returned to her cheeks. The I.V. had restored Sara to a higher level of health, but Dr. Evans told Sara before she left with the Katsoppolus' that if she didn't start eating again, she could be in a worse situation next time. Privately, Dr. Evans again recommended a psychologist, and Jesse and Becky assured her they had already set up an appointment. They weren't sure how Sara was going to react when she found out they were making her go to a psychologist, but they knew she needed help; help that Sara wouldn't let them give her at the moment.

Jesse and Becky also noticed when Sara had changed to go home that she had put her numerous bracelets on her wrist again. Jesse and Becky both feared the conversation they had planned to have with their new teenage daughter about the cuts. They had stayed up half the night worrying about Sara and how things would be when they brought her home. They weren't surprised, when they picked her up from the hospital, that she was evasive with them. She didn't say much and that continued on the drive home. She was annoyed when Jesse and Becky wanted her to eat some breakfast, but the doctors had already forced oatmeal on her before Jesse and Becky had even arrived. They weren't sure whether or not they should believe her, but when Jesse checked the hospital bill later, he saw that she was right.

When they arrived home, Jesse led the way up to the attic and Becky followed Sara close behind. Sara felt as though they were keeping a close watch on her, which irritated her deeply, but she was feeling more and more nervous as they reached the attic. She knew they wanted to talk to her, and she didn't know what they wanted to talk about, but she had a feeling it had to do with the previous night when she passed out. All she wanted to do was find Stephanie and hang out with her, to forget about the previous night.

"Sara, we need to talk. Why don't we sit down." Becky said calmly as she motioned toward the couch. Jesse and Becky sat on the couch, leaving a space for Sara, but Sara, feeling uncomfortable, sat cross-legged on the floor opposite the coffee table, facing Jesse and Becky. She didn't want to sit next to either of them. She sighed silently as Jesse and Becky looked at each other, as if prompting the other to begin.

"Well Sara, are you feeling better?" Becky asked worriedly. Sara nodded slowly.

"Are you going to start eating again?" Jesse asked. Sara nodded again.

"You gave us a real scare last night honey." Becky said and was surprised when she heard Sara's meek voice reply.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly.

"You have nothing to be sorry for Sara; we're just worried about you. I was really scared when I walked into your bedroom and saw you lying on the floor. We're just both really glad you're alright." Becky replied honestly. For a brief moment, Sara believed her and could feel the concern in Becky's voice. She heard a little voice inside her head. _Maybe she does care about you. Maybe they both do._ That thought was soon overruled by the constant thoughts that always swarmed her head. _Of course they don't care. They'll hurt you just like mom and dad did._ Sara sighed.

"That's right, but we don't want this to happen again, so you have to promise us you'll start eating regularly again. Trust me; Danny's a pretty good cook. Except for his meatloaf, and don't feel bad if you don't eat that; none of us do." Jesse cracked a grin and saw that Sara was smiling a little, but it only lasted a few seconds. Silence followed, and Sara thought maybe the talk was over, and felt happy that in a few seconds, she could find Stephanie and feel like herself.

"Sara, there's something else we need to talk to you about." Becky said quietly, and all of Sara's hopes of escaping were deflated. Sara waited, wondering what this would be about. _Maybe they'll send me back!_ She thought hopefully but knew better. Adoption didn't work like that.

"Dr. Evans told us something last night at the hospital. She told us she saw something while you were in the hospital. Sara, we don't want to pry, but we need to know what's going on. We want to help you, and we want to know why you're cutting yourself." Becky said carefully. Sara felt her stomach jolt, not fully expecting this to be the next topic of conversation. She didn't know what to say. _Should I lie? Should I tell them the truth? I only did it once. It was a mistake._

"It was a mistake." Sara verbalized her thoughts, not exactly sure what she meant by saying it.

"What was a mistake?" Jesse asked, feeling like they were getting more progress, but Sara didn't respond to this question.

"Sara, Dr. Evans said she saw cuts on your wrist. We wondered why we hadn't noticed, but we realized you're hiding them under all those bracelets. Sara, why are you cutting yourself?" Becky asked again, sensing that Sara was very uncomfortable in this situation, but Becky wasn't going to let this go, not when they were this close.

"I'm not cutting myself." Sara said defensively, as she played with her bracelets. Jesse leaned forward and put his hands on his knees.

"Listen Sara, you don't have to lie to us. You can tell us the truth." He said. Sara looked up and narrowed her eyes.

"I am telling you the truth! I only cut myself once, and that doesn't make me a cutter!" She yelled, and immediately clasped her hand over her mouth. _What would Ms. Morrison think if I was yelling at these people? I promised her I'd be good._

"I'm sorry." She apologized immediately.

"No, it's okay. We're glad you're being honest. Well, I'm glad it was only once, but how do you know you won't do it again?" Becky asked. Sara seemed to think about it, and then looked up at Becky.

"I…I didn't like it. It hurt, so I won't do it again." She said honestly, sighing deeply, exhausted by this conversation. Never had she sat through such a long conversation with adults, especially talking about stuff that made her terribly uncomfortable. Jesse and Becky seemed satisfied.

"Well I'm glad Sara. We don't want you to hurt yourself, and I don't want you to be depressed about being here. We don't want to hurt you. We want to show you a meaningful experience." Jesse said as Sara nodded slowly. Becky feared the next part of the conversation, but blurted it out anyway.

"Sara, Jesse and I have been talking and Ms. Morrison also thinks it's a good idea. We've set up an appointment for you to see a counselor. It will give you someone to talk to. I hope that's okay with you." Becky truly expected Sara to get defensive again, or insulted, but Sara only nodded again.

"Okay." She said. She was too exhausted to argue, and besides, she reasoned maybe she could use a little bit of help. She knew how much she hated talking to adults, but she put things into perspective. She had cut her wrist and starved herself as a result of the stress of being adopted. Maybe she needed to talk about that.

"Okay Sara, we're done. You can do whatever you want now. If you want to meet Stephanie, or play with the twins, or hang out in your room, or you're welcome to hang out with us too. Just remember, this is your house now. Make yourself at home and be comfortable." Jesse said with a smile.

"Oh and Sara, just remember, if you ever need someone to talk to, we're here for you okay? We don't want to hurt you." Becky was beginning to wonder if she and Jesse were becoming redundant with telling Sara this, but it was important to them that she knew that. Especially coming from the background she had endured.

Sara shyly shrugged her shoulders and asked if she could hang out with Stephanie.

"Of course you can. You can do whatever you want. Just make sure you get some lunch okay?" Becky asked.

"Here, why don't I give you ten bucks and you and Steph can go get some fast food for lunch, okay?" Jesse reached into his pocket and handed Sara a ten-dollar bill. Sara's eyes widened as she took the money.

"Are you sure?" She asked. Jesse nodded.

"Yeah, it's no big deal." He replied. Sara smiled.

"Thank you." She said quietly and she left the attic to find Stephanie. Jesse and Becky both sighed.

"She's a good kid. I really think things will turn out okay." Jesse said as he leaned back. Becky leaned against her husband.

"I just hope she opens up to us soon. I really want to help her." She replied.

"She will. I think we made amazing progress just today. I think it will get better." Jesse kissed his wife. "We just have to be patient."


	13. Reminiscing and Basketball

"That one kind of looks like a bird." Stephanie said dreamily as she pointed at an oddly shaped cloud in the blue sky.

"No way. I see a lion, or some four-legged creature, but not a bird." Sara replied as she craned her neck. The two girls were lying on the grass under the warm sun in the backyard staring up at the clouds. Sara had suggested it, telling Stephanie she used to do this with her best friend Britney at the group home.

"Well I still think it looks like a bird." Stephanie argued. It was a Friday afternoon and the girls had just arrived home from school. They hadn't even gone inside yet. They had just dropped their bags and fell to the soft grass. Sara couldn't believe she had already been with the Katsoppolus' a week. She had started school with Stephanie on Monday and was so thrilled she had all the same classes as Stephanie. Sara was still adjusting to the public school system, especially after being out of it for nearly four years. She was enjoying the experience, through, and she liked all of her teachers. Ms. Morrison was happy to hear she was adjusting well to school. Ms. Morrison had come by the house in the middle of the week to check up in things, but she was also worried about Sara.Jesse had called Ms. Morrison Saturday morning after Jesse and Becky had their talk with Sara. Ms. Morrison had felt extremely guilty she hadn't noticed Sara's eating pattern during the week before her adoption, but when she thought about it, Sara had been taking her food to her room a lot. Ms. Morrison thought she had just been avoiding her and Britney because she had been so angry. Sara had been very happy to see her though, when she visited that Wednesday afternoon. The two had a few minutes alone to talk while Jesse and Becky had stepped out of the room. Sara had promised Ms. Morrison that day that she was eating properly again, but when Ms. Morrison asked her if she was opening up to Jesse and Becky, Sara didn't really answer. Ms. Morrison had asked the same question to Jesse and Becky, who told her Sara was still very evasive and short with them, but was getting along greatly with DJ, Michelle, the twins and especially Stephanie. Ms. Morrison told them not to be discouraged, since Sara was leery with most adults, which was why she was surprised when Jesse and Becky had told her that Sara did very well at her first appointment with the psychologist.

Becky had picked Sara up from school on Tuesday morning and drove her to the psychologist's office in downtown San Francisco. Sara seemed nervous going in with Dr. Harner, who Becky thought was a very kind young woman. Becky had waited in the waiting room for the entire hour until Dr. Harner came out with Sara. Then Sara waited in the waiting room while Dr. Harner spoke to Becky in the privacy of her office.

"Sara is a very bright child, Mrs. Katsoppolus." Dr. Harner had told Becky. "From what I can understand, Sara has a lot of trouble with adults. When I asked her about each member of your family, based on what you told me on the phone last week, she seemed more interested in talking about her activities with your nieces and your twins. When I asked about Mr. Katsoppolus and yourself, she immediately grew silent and evasive. It even showed in her body language, as she continuously shifted in her seat. From what you told me about her past, I can see this mistrust is a direct result of her parents walking out on her. My advice to you is to try to get close to her in a non-emotional way for the time being. Try to include yourselves in her activities without prying into her feelings. Have fun with her. You'll be surprised; eventually she may open up to you. Start slow and you'll all be fine."

* * *

Sara let out a deep sigh as Stephanie strained to get up from the grass. Sara looked up.

"Where are you going?" Sara asked as she sat up too. Stephanie grabbed her backpack off the grass.

"I've gotta go get ready for dance class. It starts at 6:00p.m. I only have it every other Friday." Stephanie explained. Sara nodded.

"Are you coming in?" Steph asked as she walked toward the back door. Sara shook her head.

"Nah, I think I'll stay out here and play some basketball a bit before dinner." She replied as she looked down. Stephanie sighed.

"You're just trying to avoid Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky, aren't you?" She asked. Sara looked up as Stephanie walked inside, shutting the door behind her.

Sara sighed as she picked up the basketball that was under the basketball net and started bouncing the ball. She thought about what Stephanie had said. _She's right, I guess. I kind of have been avoiding them as much as I possibly can._ Sara stopped when she realized something. _If Stephanie can see this, I wonder if Jesse and Becky can too._ Sara tried not to think about it; it made her feel guilty, but she couldn't change the way she was feeling about them. She did admit, but only to herself, that they were very nice people but she couldn't shake the feeling that they were going to hurt her, walk out on her like her parents did. She didn't care what everybody said, Ms. Morrison, Britney, Dr. Harner and even Jesse and Becky themselves, she was just too scared to grow close to them.

Sara continued to shoot hoops when the backdoor opened and Becky walked outside with a small smile on her face. Sara stopped bouncing the ball when she saw her, and held it in her arms.

"I was getting worried. I didn't see you and Stephanie come home right away." Becky said as she held her hands together. Sara shrugged.

"We stayed out here for a bit, but then Stephanie had to get ready for dance class." She replied monotonously. Becky nodded.

"I know, Steph told me." She paused. "How was school?"

"Fine." Sara shrugged again. Becky nodded. There was a moment of silence before Sara looked at the basketball as if wanting to play, but uncomfortable with Becky still standing there. Becky turned to leave, but as she did, she remembered what Dr. Harner had said. _Try to include yourselves in her activities without prying into her feelings. Have fun with her. You'll be surprised; eventually she may open up to you._ Becky turned back as Sara had already begun throwing the ball again. Becky was scared to even ask, but she mustered up her courage.

"You know, I used to be on the basketball team in high school. How often do you play?" She asked. Sara stopped and turned, and Becky thought she saw a spark of interest in the young girl.

"I used to play everyday with Britney." Sara replied. Becky nodded and with a mischievous look on her face, she looked at the ball.

"I bet I could beat you." She said in a singsong voice, and she swore she heard Sara laugh a little.

"I doubt it. You're…" Sara stopped.

"What? Old?" Becky asked with a laugh. Sara blushed.

"Alright smart alec. Show me what you got." Becky ran at Sara, who looked surprised, but ducked when Becky tried to grab the ball. Sara didn't exactly know what to do, but she didn't have much of a choice, as Becky ran at her again, and Sara began running in the opposite direction. She ducked Becky's arms again and threw the ball, which landed neatly in the hoop.

"Good shot, but I let you get that." Becky said with raised eyebrows.

"Whatever." Sara laughed. Sara managed to get the ball away from Becky and ran away, giggling as she ran, with Becky trailing close behind. Sara wasn't quick enough though, as Becky grabbed Sara around the waist and lifted her off the ground, whirling her in a circle before the two fell to the ground roughly, as the ball rolled away.

"Sara, are you okay? I didn't mean to hurt you." Becky said quickly as she checked to see if Sara was okay, but Sara was still smiling.

"You didn't. I'm okay." She replied as she got to her knees. Becky grew serious for a moment.

"Because Jesse and I would never hurt you." She stopped, realizing she was getting emotional, but Sara only nodded, and Becky almost felt that Sara truly believed her this time. For the first time in the week Sara had been there, she felt the two of them were connecting. It was the greatest Becky had felt all week.

"Alright then." Becky stood up and grabbed the ball. "Round two."


	14. Runaway

Another week had passed and Sara found she wasn't feeling as uncomfortable with her new home as she did at the beginning. Some nights, she would spend her time with Stephanie, doing homework together, or dancing to Stephanie's CDs. Some nights, Sara and Becky would play one-on-one basketball in the backyard. Becky was still convinced she could win against Sara, but Sara was on a winning streak. Some nights, Sara would even go down to Jesse's recording studio and listen to Jesse practice. He was teaching her how to play the drums, which she loved. Sara was even involving herself in dinnertime conversations. Jesse and Becky were so happy to see her smiling more, but still, they were feeling discouraged. Despite all the efforts to listen to Dr. Harner's advice to get more involved in Sara's life, Sara was still very withdrawn when it came to her emotions. Becky had tried to get Sara to open up a few times during their time together, but Sara either changed the subject or instantly remembered something else she had to do, and ran off. They were happy Sara was opening up, but were a little disappointed Sara didn't trust them yet. Dr. Harner had told them this week that Sara was making great progress but they still had to be patient with Sara because she was still carrying a lot of pain inside.

"I think she will allow herself to open up eventually, but I cannot give a time frame. It could take weeks, months, maybe even years before she opens up. She may even open up tomorrow. I don't know, but it's important she knows you care about her and are there for her so when she is ready to talk, she'll know she can come to you." Dr. Harner had told them.

* * *

It was Thursday evening and Sara was helping Stephanie clear up after dinner. She noticed Jesse and Becky had gone up to the attic right after dinner, looking pretty serious.

"What was up with them?" Sara asked. Stephanie shrugged.

"I don't know, but they looked kinda weird." She replied. Sara puckered her brow.

"Yeah I noticed that too." She shrugged. "Oh well." She continued to load the dishwasher. Stephanie shook her head.

"You don't really like them, do you?" She asked. Sara turned in surprise.

"I never said that. Why would you think that?" She asked defensively.

"I don't know. You just don't act the same with them like you do with me." Steph replied. Sara sighed.

"It's different with you. Y-you don't understand." She said quickly, turning away. Stephanie rolled her eyes and rinsed a plate.

* * *

Sara walked up the stairs slowly after she and Stephanie finished cleaning the kitchen. She thought about what Stephanie had said. _You don't really like them, do you?_ Sara liked them; she just felt a little weird around them. Stephanie was right about one thing; she did act differently around Jesse and Becky, but Stephanie was her age. It was no different than the difference between hanging out with Britney and talking to Ms. Morrison. _It was different with them too, it's…it's just the age difference._ But Sara could not justify her reasoning. She had problems feeling comfortable around any adults, and she knew why, but refused to think about it.

She reached the attic, but before she opened the door, she could hear Jesse and Becky's voices from behind the door. She didn't mean to eavesdrop, but when she heard Becky say her name, she was curious.

"Jess, I know we're supposed to be patient with Sara, but I'm just worried about her. What if she never talks to us?" Becky asked.

"Becky, she talks to us." Jesse replied.

"You know what I mean."

"I know, but she's doing much better than last week, you know that. At least she's not ignoring us anymore."

"But she is, in a way. Every time I try to get her to talk to me, she changes the subject."

"Honey you can't expect a kid to open up after two weeks of being with strangers. Not after what she's been through."

"I know, and I'm trying to be patient; we both are." Becky let out a sigh, and Sara could hear them both pacing. Jesse suddenly sighed, almost angrily.

"I really hate to say this, but I'm really not happy with what her parents did to that kid. They really screwedher up! They made a really stupid mistake and I think they're real jerks!" Jesse snapped suddenly.

"I know, it makes me angry too. What kinds of parents dump their kid like that? They're responsible for all of Sara's problems. It just isn't right." Becky replied angrily.

Sara, still standing outside the attic, felt tears stinging in her eyes as she felt anger welling up inside of her. She stood there, numb for a moment or two before she heard footsteps coming closer to the door. She ducked into the bathroom as Jesse and Becky left the attic. Sara heard them walking downstairs.

"I'm going to see if Sara wants to play some basketball or something. We have to keep trying." Becky said quietly.

"Good idea. Do you mind if I join you?" Jesse asked.

"No, it's a great idea. It'll be good for us all to spend some time together." Becky replied and the two disappeared down the stairs. Sara emerged from the bathroom, feeling angry and upset. She felt like crying but couldn't. She impulsively ran up to her bedroom and grabbed her jacket, roughly forcing it on.

"So I'm just a screwed up kid, am I? I have problems now? How could they call my parents jerks?" Sara felt so angry as she shut her light out, slamming her bedroom door behind her as she stomped through the attic. She couldn't figure out why she had felt angry with Jesse and Becky saying her parents were jerks. _They were jerks, they left me._ Yet something inside of Sara was still hurting. Maybe it was the reminder itself, but she felt so angry, she couldn't take it anymore.

She quietly went downstairs and saw there was nobody in the living room. Sara quietly unlocked the front door and stepped outside, quietly closing the door behind her. The sun was just beginning to set, and Sara stood on the front porch for a moment, as if seriously wondering whether this really was a good idea. She really didn't know the neighborhood very well, and knew she would be in a lot of trouble for leaving without asking permission, but Sara was so deeply filled with rage, she didn't care.

"If they think I'm just a screwed up kid, fine! I don't need them!" She said to herself, and she stepped off the porch, running down the street as the moon began to rise higher in the sky.


	15. Lost And Found

"Jesse, I can't find Sara anywhere. I checked the yard, the studio, upstairs, everywhere. I checked with the girls, Danny and Joey, but nobody has seen her since after dinner. Where on earth could she be?" Becky asked worriedly.

"I don't know honey. Maybe she went for a walk or something." Jesse said as he gripped his hair tightly.

"Jesse, she knows she's supposed to ask before she goes anywhere. There's something wrong, I can feel it." Becky said. They stood in silence for a moment, until Becky looked up at Jesse with wide eyes.

"Oh my gosh, Jesse. Do you think she heard us talking about her earlier?" She asked. Jesse stared at her, considering it.

"Jesse, maybe she heard us and was so upset that she ran away." Becky said sadly.

"Alright, Becky you take our car and look around the city. I'll call Ms. Morrison and tell her Sara is missing. I'll take Danny's car and look too. Take your cell phone; I'll take mine too." Jesse said quickly as he grabbed the phone. Becky nodded, grabbing her keys and running out the door.

"Hello?" Ms. Morrison answered.

"Ms. Morrison, it's Jesse Katsoppolus." Jesse sighed heavily. "We have a problem.

* * *

Sara was sitting under a tree in the park across the street from Jacobson Group Home. It had taken her an hour to walk there, since she got lost on the way. She hugged her knees tightly as tears fell freely down her face. Sara couldn't remember a time when she had cried this much. She felt so alone and wished she could just run inside the building across the street that had been her home and talk to Britney, but she knew Ms. Morrison would call Jesse and Becky.

Sara sighed and stared at the night sky and for the first time in four years, her mind wandered to her mom and dad and the day they walked out on her. Sara could feel herself getting angry and finally, it all came out.

"Why did you do this to me? Why did you have to walk out on me? I wouldn't have been so screwed up if you would have just stayed with me like moms and dads are supposed to!" Sara screamed out as tears of fury streamed down her face. She felt herself shaking and she was breathing heavily. _It's not fair. _She thought.

"Hi Sara." Sara jumped when she looked up and saw that Britney was bending down to sit next to her best friend. Sara dried her eyes quickly.

"What are you doing here?" Sara asked, keeping her head down.

"Jessecalled Ms. Morrison and told her you were missing. I was in her office when she got the call, so I knew what was going on. Ms. Morrison wanted to go look for you in her car, so I went with her. We drove around for a while until I realized I knew where you went, and, well, here I am." Britney explained. Sara couldn't bring herself to stop crying, even thought she had never allowed herself to cry in front of others.

"Does that mean Ms. Morrison is with you?" Sara asked quietly.

"She's waiting in the car. I convinced her to let me come alone." Britney replied, as she pointed to a car parked at the end of the park. Sara could make out the figure of Ms. Morrison in the distance.

* * *

"Becky, it's Ms. Morrison." Ms. Morrison said after Becky had answered her cell phone. Ms. Morrison was calling from her cell phone, as she sat in her car, watching Sara in the distance with her best friend.

"Hi Ms. Morrison." Becky said worriedly. She was still driving around the city, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of Sara.

"I found her Becky. She's safe." Ms. Morrison said and she could hear Becky breath a deep sigh of relief.

"Where is she?" Becky asked, and Ms. Morrison could tell she was crying a little.

"Across the street from the group home, there's a park. She's there, and Britney is with her. I told Britney to keep her there as long as possible until you or Jesse gets here. Sara has no idea I called you." Ms. Morrison explained.

"Alright, I'll be there in a few minutes, I'm not far from there. I'll probably be there first, because Jesse is searching the other end of the city. I'll see you soon." Becky hung up and immediately called her husband's cell phone.

"Jesse, Ms. Morrison found her. She's at the park across the street from the group home. I'm on my way there right now. How long will it take you to get there?" Becky asked as she turned her car around.

"Well, I'm on the other end of town, but I should be there within the half hour. Call me if anything changes." Jesse paused. "It's going to be okay Becky." He said soothingly.

"Alright honey, I'll see you soon." Becky hung up and as she drove toward the park, she feared what would happen when she got there.

* * *

"Why did you run away?" Britney asked as she and Sara sat under the tree, shivering from the cold. Sara hesitated, but felt so alone and so tense from all the anger she was feeling inside, she knew she had to let it out somehow.

"I heard them talking. They said my parents really screwed me up." Sara said quietly. Britney sighed.

"Sara I'm sure they didn't mean it." She said, not sure of what to say anymore.

"They said it plain as day. How could they not mean it?" Sara asked through bitter tears.

"Well, maybe if you talked to them about it, maybe they will have an explanation." Britney tried, hoping not to make Sara angry enough to run off again. Ms. Morrison had trusted her to keep Sara put until Ms. Morrison would have enough time to call Jesse and Becky and have them come down.

"I don't want to talk to them Britney. They said I had problems; they said my parents were jerks!" Sara cried.

"Sara, maybe they're just angry at your mom and dad because of what they did to you. I know I am. Jesse and Becky care about you a lot; if they didn't, why would they have adopted you? They probably just don't want anything bad to happen to you and they wish they could help you, but you won't let them. Maybe it was wrong for them to say your parents screwed you up, but maybe they're frustrated. How do you think they're feeling? All they want to do is be your parents and parents want to do what's best for their kids. Jesse and Becky want to help you but you keep pushing them away." Britney explained, as Sara seemed to be taking it all in. She hadn't thought of that. She had never realized how frustrating it must be to try so hard to get close to a girl who is trying to avoid getting close.

Sara suddenly heard footsteps approaching the two girls. Sara guessed it would have been Ms. Morrison, but when she looked up, she saw Becky standing over them.

"Hi Sara." Becky said softly. Sara turned to Britney and stared at her.

"You knew she was coming, didn't you?" She asked, feeling somewhat betrayed. Britney stood up and looked down at her best friend.

"Yes, I knew Sara. Don't be angry. I think you need to sort this out before it gets worse. Remember what I said. I hope one day you can forgive me." Britney said and she turned to leave.

"Thank you Britney. You're a good friend." Becky said with a smile.

"You're welcome. It's nice to meet you Mrs. Katsoppolus." Britney replied.

"Call me Becky and thanks again." Becky said. Britney smiled, looked at Sara once more and headed toward Ms. Morrison, who was still waiting in her car.

Sara wanted to get up and run, but she knew there was no point. From all the times Sara had played basketball with Becky, she learned that Becky was quick, and would easily catch her if she tried to run.

Becky bent down and sat down next to Sara under the tree. Neither said a word for a few moments. Becky didn't know what to say, and Sara had nothing to say. Becky knew she had to say something; otherwise they would sit in the silence all night.

"Sara, why did you run away?" Becky asked cautiously. Sara sighed heavily, turning her head away from Becky, hiding her tears. Becky had to keep pushing. She knew Dr. Harner had said to be patient and let Sara be the one to come forward, but the situation was becoming serious. Jesse, Becky and Ms. Morrison had all spent the last two hours scoping the city of San Francisco for a 13-year-old girl who had put herself in danger by being out by herself this late. It was now after 11:00p.m. and Becky couldn't bear the thought of what could have happened to Sara if they hadn't have found her. _She could have been mugged, kidnapped, raped, or even killed!_ Becky couldn't let this happen again. Sara was hers and Jesses responsibility and they had to do everything they could to prevent another runaway.

"Sara, did you hear Jesse and I talking earlier?" Becky asked. When Sara didn't answer, but began sobbing silently, Becky knew she had. Becky suddenly heard someone approaching them and she was grateful when she saw Jesse had arrived. Becky wanted to smile, but couldn't. She only reached up her hand and Jesse took it, kneeling down beside Becky.

"Hey Sara; you okay kiddo?" Jesse asked softly, not wanting to scare her. Sara didn't move, or acknowledge their presence.

"I think Sara heard us talking earlier." Becky said to Jesse, as she looked over to Sara, who began sobbing again. She was so angry with herself for allowing herself to cry so much. She felt weak and vulnerable.

"Sara, please just talk to us. You really scared us tonight when you ran away, honey. We want to make sure that doesn't happen again. Just tell us what upset you." Becky pleaded in a calm voice. Sara felt angry and wanted to yell and scream at them for what they had said, but she felt overwhelmingly exhausted to do anything. She could remember what Britney had said too; about how frustrating this must be for Jesse and Becky. _They wish they could help you but you won't let them._ Britney's voice rang through Sara's mind and she realized and accepted the fact that maybe her best friend was right. She felt no need to keep quiet; what did she have to lose?

"You think I'm a screwed up kid with problems. You think my mom and dad are jerks. Why did you adopt me if I'm just some screwed up kid?" Sara cried out, surprising Jesse and Becky greatly. They hadn't expected Sara to budge, let alone speak up, but now that she had, Jesse and Becky immediately felt heartbroken for the young girl whose heart wrenching sobs rang through their ears.

"Oh sweetie, we don't think you're a screwed up kid; we were just talking. We just feel that you shut people out because of what your mom and dad did to you, and we don't think that's right. You should be able to trust people, but you don't trust anybody and that makes us sad, because you keep everything locked up inside." Becky said as a tear rolled down her cheek, hating how hurt Sara was feeling.

"Sara, we shouldn't have called your parents jerks, but we felt angry with them. Becky and I are parents, and we just can't imagine how they could just get up and leave such an amazing girl. They had an awesome daughter, and they gave it all away. Becky and I just think you deserve so much better than that." Jesse explained.

"And we don't regret adopting you Sara. Yes, you may be dealing with a lot right now, but we just want to help you, if you'll let us. Sara, we love you." Becky said, and Sara felt her whole body go numb. It was a feeling she had never experienced before. She couldn't remember a time when her mom and dad told her they loved her, and now she was sitting in a park with two people who loved her, and wanted to be her parents. Those three words ran through her, and she was surprised that she believed them. They were heartfelt and true. In that brief moment, she remembered the last few weeks she had spent with Jesse and Becky, and couldn't remember a time when they had hurt her, yelled at her, or made her feel like she wasn't worth it. _All those times Becky tried to talk to me, she was trying to help. All those times Jesse played music for me, he was trying to get close to me. They've done so much; they've tried to help me, and I've pushed them away, just like I've pushed Ms. Morrison away._ Sara realized, and felt a large burden lifted from her shoulders as she came to this revelation. Jesse and Becky were not going to hurt her like her mom and dad did; she could feel it in that moment when Becky told her they loved her. Sara turned and looked Becky right in the eye, not caring that she had tears streaming down her face anymore.

"You…what?" She asked, as if needing to hear the words again, to confirm everything she had just realized.

"We love you Sara. You're our daughter now, and we want to be good parents to you, so you can see that you can trust people and not get hurt." Becky repeated, and Sara shook her head, not able to believe everything that just occurred to her. Sara suddenly felt guilty for the way she had treated them and for worrying them on more than one occasion; when she passed out from not eating, when she had cut herself and now, for running away from home, having them drive through the entire city to look for her.

"I'm, I'm sorry I ran away." Sara said meekly after a moment of silence. "I should have just talked to you right away." She couldn't believe she just said that, and she knew that Jesse and Becky were shocked as well.

"Sara, we don't expect you to talk to us if you don't feel comfortable, but promise us you won't run away again, okay? We were really worried." Jesse said.

"We want to be able to help you overcome the pain you're dealing with, but we don't want to push you. We know you have never talked about what happened, Ms. Morrison told us that, but we really hope one day you will be able to trust us enough to let us hear it, so we can work through it together, and so you can know that you're not alone. Maybe not today Sara, but when you're ready, we're here to listen." Becky said with a wink. There were a few moments of silence, until Sara felt an overwhelming feeling inside of her, something pushing her to do something she had never done, but felt strongly about. She couldn't believe she was about to do it, but she felt a strange sort of peace about it, and felt like it was the right time and place. Jesse and Becky were shocked to hear the first words come out of her mouth that had never been heard before, by anybody.

"I was nine years old when it happened…" Sara closed her eyes, and began to remember the haunting past that had been locked inside her for four years.


	16. Revealed At Last

Sara could remember it as plain as day, and she retold every detail to Jesse and Becky, who listened patiently, and never interrupted once.

* * *

It was a bright Wednesday morning in San Francisco and 9-year-old Sara Stevenson dressed in her denim overalls and a bright pink T-shirt, and went into the kitchen to make herself breakfast. Her mom never made her breakfast, since they always got up an hour earlier than she did, and wouldn't make a second breakfast.

"You're old enough to make your own breakfast." Her mother would snap at her if Sara ever questioned her.

So Sara popped herself some toast that morning with a smile. She felt excited, because today was report card day, and Sara knew she was going to get A's, since she had worked so hard. _Maybe mommy and daddy will be proud of me if I get straight A's. _Sara longed for her parents' approval, desperate for them to pay even a little bit of attention to her. She loved them so much, and wished they would feel the same way about her. _I just have to try harder. _She'd think to herself. _I have to make them happy, and then they'll love me._

So it became a mission for Sara. She would draw pictures, make crafts, clean the house, stay out of their way, anything she could possibly think of to make them happy, but nothing seemed to work. She still ended up tucking herself in at night, reading herself bedtime stories, making herself breakfast and spending all of her time contemplating new ways to make her parents proud, and love her.

_If they see I get straight A's on my report card, they'll have to say something. Maybe they'll tell me I'm smart, and they'll be proud of me._ Sara wished so hard as she devoured her breakfast and gathered her school things.

"Bye mommy, bye daddy." She called into the living room, where they sat watching their morning talk shows. As usual, they didn't look up or acknowledge Sara was even in the same house. Sara sighed and left, but felt hopeful as she walked to school. _After today, things will be different. They love me, I know they do, and they'll show me. _Sara was too young to understand why things were the way they were. She couldn't understand why her parents looked through her as if she didn't exist. She couldn't understand why the only contact she had with her mother was when Sara made a mistake in her mission, and would get hit or slammed into a wall. She couldn't understand why the only time her father touched her was once when her mother was out, and they were alone in his dark bedroom. She couldn't understand why her parents were always angry, or upset. She couldn't understand why after her daddy and mommy fought, her mother would slice her wrists open, something Sara had only walked in on once. She had been punished for that too.

* * *

Sara waited anxiously as the end of the day drew nearer and nearer, as she watched the clock on her classroom wall. She patiently watched as her teacher finally got up and started handing out the manila envelopes, holding the report cards. Sara waited, as her teacher ran through the list alphabetically. Finally, her teacher handed her an envelope with a label on it that read, "Stevenson, Sara." On the envelope was a smiley face sticker, a sign that Sara knew meant a good report.

The bell rang and Sara ran out of her classroom with her backpack and when she was out in the schoolyard, she couldn't wait. She pulled out the fresh piece of paper that had her grades marked down the side. She smiled widely as the paper confirmed what she already knew. Straight A's in every subject. Sara was absolutely glowing. _Finally, mommy and daddy will have to be happy to see this._

Sara ran the whole three blocks home and ran through her front door, yelling excitedly.

"Mommy, daddy! Come see my report card!" She screamed out, with a huge smile on her face. It faded quickly when she observed the surroundings. At first, the young girl thought she had run into the wrong house, as she stared at the empty room, stripped of all furnishing.

"Mommy?" She called out, as she peered into the living room and saw the couches, TV, and her dad's favorite reclining chair were all gone.

"Daddy?" She called out, peeking into the kitchen, where the refrigerator had disappeared, and all the cupboards were open, exposing their empty contents. She could only come to one conclusion. _We've been robbed._ She thought, feeling frightened that she was alone in a house that might have a bad guy in it.

She jumped when she heard a knock on the door. Sara hesitantly opened the door to find her next-door neighbor, Lynn on the other side. She was an older woman of about 40, who lived alone, and often came to chat with the Stevenson's. Sara liked her; she was so chipper and sweet, something she longed her parents would be.

"Hi kiddo, are your parents home? I wondered if I could borrow a cup of sugar." Lynn said in her usual cheerful tone. Sara shook her head quickly, still shaking from fear.

"You can't borrow sugar; we have no food. I think we were robbed." Sara said fearfully, as Lynn puckered her brow. She took Sara's hand and let herself inside, surveying the scene for herself. She looked into the living room, into the kitchen and even upstairs. The only thing left in the house was a small suitcase that held a few of Sara's clothes, and a piece of paper attached to the suitcase. Lynn picked it up, and frowned as she read the note. Sara looked up at her with innocent eyes, and Lynn felt herself misting up.

"Honey, why don't you come over to my house okay? I have to make a phone call." Lynn took Sara's hand and Sara went over to Lynn's house quietly, her report card now forgotten on the floor.

* * *

The next thing Sara could remember, a police car had shown up at Lynn's house and Sara thought the police officer was there to arrest the burglar, but inside, the young police officer, who she introduced herself as Officer Maria came in to talk to Sara. Sara feared they would blame her for the robbery, but Officer Maria was nice to her, bending down to talk to her.

"Sara, I need you to come with me, okay?" She offered her hand out, and Sara looked up to Lynn for assurance, but Lynn just gave her a big kiss, and told her to go with the nice police officer. Sara went reluctantly, wondering where her mommy and daddy had gone. Officer Maria was carrying the small suitcase that was left in Sara's bedroom, and she held the small note in her hand. Sara would never find out what that note said, but over the years, she would be able to figure it out, for three days later, after Officer Maria had dropped Sara off at a young children's home, a social worker named Jackie had talked to Sara about what happened.

"Honey, there wasn't a robbery like you thought. Your mommy and daddy left. We don't know why, but you'll be taken care of, don't worry. Everything will be okay." Jackie had told her. Sara had immediately begun to blame herself, a habit that would stay with her for years to come. _I should have been a better little girl. I was bad, that's why they didn't love me. If I had been a better girl, they would have stayed, they would have loved me._ From that day forward, she never talked about her parents again. She only remembered them in anger, and over the years, would come to a conclusion that parents everywhere were like that. It was a feeling that would stay with her until one late night, four years later,under a tree…


	17. A Second Chance

Sara cried silently as she relieved the horrors of her past to Jesse and Becky, who were horrified over everything this young girl had been through in her short life. Never had they expected Sara's past to be as traumatic and frightening as what Sara had just told them. At only 9 years old, Sara had endured physical and emotional, as well as an occasion of sexual abuse. She had gone through her entire life searching for acceptance, attention and especially love from the only people she had to give it to her, but received nothing. Jesse and Becky were too shocked for words as Sara sat quietly, waiting for some kind of response.

"Sara, we're sorry." Was all Jesse could find to say at that moment. As the three sat in silence, Sara felt an overwhelming weight lifted from her shoulders, sensing she had done the right thing, and felt so much better after telling them. Though now she feared how they would react. _Will they regret adopting me now that they know the truth?_ She thought.

"Sara, I don't really know what to say, except that you deserved none of that to happen to you. You're such an amazing girl, and you deserved so much better. You still do. No little girl should have to go through life wondering why her parents don't love her, or pay attention to her. No little girl should have to deal with any of the things you had to deal with. What happened to you left you feeling abandoned and betrayed. Now you feel like you can't trust anybody, but that's not true. There are good people in this world that will not hurt you. Jesse and I will never hurt you, we can promise you that. We love you so much Sara, and we will never leave you. You're too special, and we want to share our lives with you for the rest of your life." Becky said quietly and soothingly. Sara stared at Becky through glazed eyes, finally believing every word she was saying.

"Your parents really hurt you kiddo, but we won't. All we want is for you to be happy and we want you to know all the time that you're loved. Even if you get into trouble, or bring home a report card with all F's, we're still gonna love you because you've become our daughter and we're always gonna care for you." Jesse said, and Sara looked into his deep brown eyes, and believed him too. She couldn't believe how much had changed in just a half an hour, but as she stared into the eyes of Jesse and Becky, the people who had adopted her, she saw for the first time in her whole life, a mom and adad who would give her everything her real mom and dad would never give her. Something she desperately longed for from her parents was right in front of her now, in Jesse and Becky. Parents who would love her always, unconditionally, for the rest of her life, despite mistakes she would make. Sara looked up as she saw Becky holding her arms out carefully, looking at Sara with a small smile. Sara hesitated, but longed to be held; longed to be loved. She couldn't hide behind her anger or fears any longer. She fell into Becky's arms, and cried so much. Jesse joined them, wrapping his arms around his wife and his new daughter, and held on tightly. The three remained embraced for a long time, giving Sara a sense of safety she had never felt before.

In that moment, she knew she had found her place; her home.

* * *

After midnight, Jesse and Becky walked through the front doors of their house to find Danny sitting on the couch, with a cup of coffee. Sara wandered in shyly behind the couple and stared at Danny, who smiled carefully at her.

"You okay Sara?" He asked. Sara smiled shyly and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm alright." She said quietly. Danny nodded. Becky put her arm around Sara and began leading her upstairs.

"You must be exhausted." Becky whispered, hoping not to wake anybody in the house. Sara stifled a yawn and nodded. She felt so tired, and knew it was from all of the emotions she had let out that night, something she hadn't done in four years. As the couple and Sara made their way to the attic, a door opened quietly and Stephanie walked out into the hallway in a blue robe. Sara looked at her and Stephanie smiled a little.

"I couldn't sleep. I knew I wouldn't fall asleep until I knew you were okay." Stephanie admitted. Sara smiled.

"I'm alright Stephanie." She whispered, knowing that she had made a true friend in Stephanie. Sara approached her new friend and gave her a hug.

"Are you okay?" Steph whispered secretly, so that Jesse and Becky wouldn't hear them. Sara nodded.

"I am now." She admitted, feeling more confident in herself. "I'll tell you all about it tomorrow."

* * *

Jesse and Becky followed Sara into her bedroom as Sara fell onto her bed, without changing into her pajamas. Jesse and Becky smiled.

"I knew you were getting tired." Jesse said with a smirk, but there was no response from Sara. She had fallen asleep within seconds. Becky smiled at her husband, and pulled Sara's covers over her, and leaned over, giving her a goodnight kiss. Jesse took Becky's hand and led her out of the room, shutting the door quietly as they tiptoed out of the room. Becky wrapped her arms around her husband and squeezed him tightly.

"You okay?" Jesse asked. Becky looked at him.

"I've never been better. Jesse, she's been through so much, and I think it will take her a lot of time to overcome the pain, but she's taken the first step. She talked to us; she opened up after four years of keeping it inside. She's going to be fine, I know it. We're all going to be fine now." Becky said with a smile. Jesse kissed his wife.

"You're right." He said. "We're a family, and we can overcome anything as long as we stick together."

* * *

That night, Sara had a familiar nightmare where she relieved the day her mom and dad left her, and Sara ran through her old house, screaming for somebody to help her. Usually, her nightmare would end with her falling through a great hole, with nobody to pull her out, but this time, something different happened. As the tiled floor of her old house opened up, ready to pull her into the deep pit of her past, to keep her locked there forever, two hands reached out and pulled her out, saving her from the horrors of her past. She looked into the eyes of her two saviors, Jesse and Becky Katsoppolus.

They had freed her, and they were going to protect her from now on.

**The End!**

Thank you everyone who has read and reviewed my story. It took a long time, especially after it got deleted, but I kept going. I couldn't have done it without your support. I'm thinking about doing a sequel but I need ideas. Any ideas from you awesome people?

God bless

_Chrissy_ _M. Dennis_


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